Broken Dusk: Amidst the Curse
by seerseeker
Summary: Civilisation is mankind's greatest feat yet. Protection is served among the peaceful dwellers of these so-called havens. But little does mankind know that the real danger lies within themselves. In order to live on harmoniously, they conform to the standards of their leader—often referred to as a mere puppet. Don't listen to them. (RotBTD Hogwarts/Rwby AU)
1. Letters of Assurance

Author's Note: This will be a Jackunzel and Mericcup story, but relationships will not be explored until Year 4: The Frozen Core.

* * *

Merida was home with her mother. They had spent three months together at London after Merida returned from Hogwarts. It was the perfect schedule, as almost every day was sunny and warm for her to go outside. The only days when she couldn't were when her mother wanted to educate her about her family and Dunbroch's history. If her mother was so eager to mentor her about Dunbroch, why did they have to move in the first place? It wasn't like the demon bear, Mor'du, was waiting for them. Their father would've told them about the bear if he encountered it the second time.

Today was different. Merida wasn't outside because it was raining. She didn't mind the rain, but her mother wouldn't allow her daughter getting sick. She recently gave birth to triplets, who are now under the care of Maudie. Merida was now wondering who was taking over as the matron at Hogwarts. It had better not be someone who'd report all injuries to the patient's parents.

The triplets—Harris, Hubert, and Hamish—were very quiet. They've had their few moments that kept Merida awake all night. But in general, they were silent, usually sleeping all day. But her mother always told Merida that the quietest were usually the biggest troublemakers when they grew up. They had curly red hair, like Merida and her father. They were definitely more like their father though, while Merida knew she was a lot like her mother, despite their differences.

Their father, Fergus, was home today, getting ready to leave as soon as Merida commenced her second year at Hogwarts. However, word got out that Merida faced a Dusk Droid last March. Elinor was worried that things would become worse; the only one to convince her to allow Merida to resume next year was Fergus. He had told her to let their daughter grow up like how they did. The two parents would've wanted for their daughter to be a witch. In eleven years time, they'd have another three wizards to add to the family. If Elinor found out Merida fought the robot with her friends and barely made it out alive, things would've ended differently in that debate. At least the most convincing rumour was the one Lunar requested them to tell. Instead of them taking out that robot, it was Xander who did it instead.

"Merida, how many times have I told you that you cannot bring your bow to Hogwarts!" They've been through this argument many times already. When Merida spoke about her bow, her mother would remember what her daughter did to disobey her. She made it loud and clear, but Merida always rebelled.

"Mum, there's no rule about not having to bring weapons! You remember the Dusk Droid? If I never brought my bow, my friend would've died," said Merida. She scrunched her eyebrows together and left the room. She wasn't going to waste her time with this again.

The door slammed and Elinor sat down on the armchair in the living room, massaging her temples. "Stubbornness. It's entirely from your side," said Elinor.

Fergus was chuckling. She always blamed him for Merida's arrogance.

"Let her be. Fighting is essential at a time like this," said Fergus, sitting on the couch beside her.

"A time like _this_? I don't want my daughter being part of a war!" stated Elinor.

"I never said a war. Besides, if the students won't fight, then who will? Merida's lucky that the Slytherin boy stopped the robot."

Elinor did not answer. Fergus was always talking about charisma and being a good influence to the people they led. If Fergus wasn't influential, the other clans—MacGuffin, Macintosh, and Dingwall—wouldn't have joined him into working for the Ministry. They've had their good times working all over Scotland, taking out dangerous beasts and sharing the same scars; it's what kept them together all those years after the feud.

"Why was she sorted into Slytherin? Our daughter is better than that!" complained Elinor. The one thing Elinor and Fergus disliked the most during their time at Hogwarts was that good-for-nothing house called Slytherin. Now their daughter's part of it, and they should now consider changing their perspectives. Though, Fergus had already done that last year.

During the seven years of Merida's parents' time at Hogwarts, conflicts between the houses were prominent, especially between Gryffindor and Slytherin. These days the feud had ended and the only bad things were fights about blood purity. It could happen between any house.

The fireplace started cracking and the firewood twitched. A puff of embers suspended in the air and Elinor and Fergus watched the flames. A face appeared and it was Tsar Lunar's. He was using the fireplace as a form of communication, since it was connected to the Floo Network. The Dunbroch's fireplace didn't allow transportation, only speaking via the fireplace was allowed. They didn't want an intruder breaking into the place.

"Tsar Lunar! What brings you here… unannounced." Fergus got up and stood behind Elinor. They were always afraid of bad news. He rested both his hands on her shoulders.

"My apologies, Your Majesties. I have an important message to the King of Dunbroch," said Tsar.

"Aye, he is here." Fergus said, leaning over Elinor.

"You have a new assignment. For many years you've scouted the wilderness around Scotland, Wales, and England. This year will be a little bit different. I want you and your troops to begin a reconnaissance around Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?!" exclaimed Elinor. "Is something wrong there?"

"Nothing at the moment. You are fully aware of the Dusk Droid that made its way into the Dark Forest, no? I don't want another incident like that, so your job is to patrol the regions close to Hogwarts. But under no circumstances must you be near the Dark Forest. We wouldn't want to cause any disturbance with the students."

"Understood. We will begin on the 1st of September, when the Hogwarts Express leaves," said Fergus.

"Thank you for your co-operation." Tsar disappeared and the flames reverted back to normal.

"Doesn't sound good," said Elinor. She trusted Tsar Lunar, but she knew he was up to something. If she never trusted him, she wouldn't have ever left Merida under his protection.

* * *

Merida slammed the door to her room. She was finally separated from society right now; she loved it. Her room as well as the wilderness were the places that were her shields. They protected her from the social standards, the standards that acted like boundaries, which already determined her fate, but she was determined to break free and make her own story.

Her room was cosy. There was a fireplace of her own, but not connected to the Network in any way. She had a television, unlike many pure-bloods. Everything had its place, and Merida felt comfortable on her seat. There were letters on the desk for Merida. Maudie had placed them there for her. And only she was allowed to enter Merida's room; it was for that reason only.

Even though she felt better in her room, she usually became restless for not doing anything fun. There was nothing that entertained her indoors. At least she had the letters to read. Merida had written letters to Hiccup, Jack, and Rapunzel, but so far she'd only received a few from Hiccup and Jack during this holiday. She was getting worried about Rapunzel. Merida concluded that it was impossible for Rapunzel to send the letter. Hiccup was within the range of magic, and she had learnt that Berk apparently used smaller dragons to deliver messages. Jack was at the North Pole, so there were many possibilities his letter got passed on to her.

She picked up one of the two letters and read it. This one was from Jack. It was perfectly folded in an envelope and there was a red seal with a unique symbol on top. Merida would only see seals like this if it were from another kingdom.

 _Dear Merida_

 _I guess you're right about one thing. Professor Black and Thorburn have things to hide. I asked North out of curiosity and he told me that Headmaster Lunar shares things with discretion. He apparently only shares them with Black, Thorburn, and sometimes with North. It's causing a lot of conflict too between the professors. But I guess the good news is that they are with the good guys—I hope._

 _Anyway, it's great that you've been outside and having fun. I don't usually go out in this weather. I guess you'd understand if you lived in a wasteland covered in ice. It's also tough living here 'cause I guess I think about home. My sleeping pattern has also changed… sometimes I lose track of time. It's always daytime here in the North Pole. North tried explaining to me about the axis but I couldn't understand it very well. At least it's not winter; it's apparently always night then._

 _Emma told me that she wished to see you and Rapunzel. She wasn't too keen on visiting Hiccup because she was scared of dragons too. I guess they'd get along well. That thing you said on your letter also motivated me to go see Hawthorne. I'm still not going to call it Burgess. Soon I will be able to get there and inspect the area. I'm probably there right now while you're reading this._

 _And no, I still haven't gotten any letters from Rapunzel since writing this. Do you think Rapunzel's okay? It can't be that Rapunzel has no method of sending letters. Doesn't Corona have a method since it's part of the wizarding world? I got a letter from Nod the other day, and Moonhaven is in North America, so there must be another explanation about Rapunzel's silence. Look, I know it's not right for me to tell you this, but I think you and Hiccup deserve to know. I think Rapunzel has a bad relationship with her mother. She's told us many times about the strict rules she follows, but she also told me other things. She told me once about her mother making her feel bad, saying her father left her because he hated her. It's bullying and I know it when I see it!_

 _Maybe it's because I pushed her… I told her she was smart and she would be able to solve things. Maybe it motivated her to defy her mother's rules, which caused things to become worse. Still, I could just be overthinking things again. Anyway, I really hope you're doing fine as well and remember that I would do anything to be with my parents again, so don't take yours for granted._

 _From Jack_

* * *

Cold, empty, and eerie this place was. There was nothing that made Jack feel better about returning home. It was nighttime, which Jack didn't consider before leaving. It had been the first time Jack was in the obscured darkness. The only sources of light were the street lamps and the moon. The moon was beautiful. He'd seen the moon many times at the North Pole, but seeing it in the black sky, reflecting light gave him profound feelings.

Everything was untouched, except for the trees, which were all wilted. There were also strange plants inhabiting the area, probably caused by the 'explosion of chemicals'. These plants weren't going to make it. They were riddled with blight. Plants had their own poison; humans had theirs.

Jack went inside his former home. The rooms were intact, except for the living room. There was a massive hole blasted on the wall, leading back outside. It must've been what took Emma, and it left his parents behind to die. It was this very room where North told him about the wizarding world. There was a stain on the floor. Drops of blood were trailing out the house. Jack couldn't remember seeing wounds on Emma. What happened in this room?

He inspected the floor closely and could see tiny dots glittering in the moonlight. If only it was daytime, he'd be able to see it clearly. These dots were like sand, but was it normal sand, Dreamsand, or Black Sand? Jack didn't know that those skills were able to work outside of the 'magical hotspot'.

Outside Jack's house was the playground. It used to be fun; it used to be colourful. Now it was dull and lifeless. Jack could remember all those times when he played here with the other children nearby. Who could've done such a thing to kill children? The playground appeared haunted, like the abandoned ones from horror films he watched with Emma.

The last area he had to go to was the crash site. They couldn't cover up that mess in time, not without magic. He found the area where the ship crashed. There were remnants of the ship scattered over a large crater. The ship was huge, but he found his way in. He didn't want to advance any further. The interior of the ship was too scary, especially since he was alone. He might've believed in ghosts, and with this town being called Burgess—the home of many dead people—scared Jack.

He found one piece of crucial evidence though. It was hard to see, but he waited until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. On the side of the wall inside the ship, there was a symbol imprinted on it.

"The symbol of Arendelle," said Jack, as he left the ship.

A figure was standing further away from the ship. It appeared to be waiting for Jack, but Jack waited until he tried to figure out who was there. The person could've been dangerous.

"Jack," said the figure in a manly voice. It was a Russian accent, so Jack knew who it was.

Jack approached the man and waited for the lecture to begin. He'd usually hear them whenever he was in trouble with his parents. "Sorry, North."

They were standing in front of each other, and whatever North wanted to say, Jack wouldn't argue. "I'm not surprised you came here on your own, but I expected for you to head to this place sooner."

"And you let me?" asked Jack. He stared at the ground, waiting for an answer.

"Of course I didn't, but I wanted you to see for yourself. Well? What do you think?"

"It's quiet… and I'm done being here."

"How did you plan on getting home? There is nothing nearby to get you back to the North Pole."

Jack reached into the pocket from his jacket. There was a snow globe in his hand. He had seen North use it many times to transport himself to different areas around the world.

"Smart, I'll give you that, but it only works for me because it's my Semblance."

"Semblance?" Jack asked. He had heard about that term a few times last year.

"You'll learn about it soon," said North, taking the orb from Jack.

"How did you find me anyway?" asked Jack.

"The large globe at the North Pole shows me where the lights are. Before, it showed a light in Pennsylvania, which normally has none," answered North. He used the snow globe Jack took and threw it nearby while saying, "Workshop."

Before North stepped into the portal, Jack stopped him.

"Jack? What are you waiting for? You said you were done being here."

"I know, but… I saw the Arendelle symbol on the ship. Did they do this?!" questioned Jack.

North leaned in to talk over the whirling portal. "In a way yes, but you shouldn't be questioning the Princesses when you get back."

"Why not?! They know something about this!" exclaimed Jack.

"They do not, Jack. In situations like this, there is your story, their story, and the truth. Do not get mixed up with yours and the truth." North said.

Jack nodded and the two left the town via the portal. He decided to keep quiet about the sand he found on the ground, but he was going to let Merida know that her suspicions of Professor Black shouldn't be ignored yet. The road was back to being empty, with no people or animals. Soon, the plants would face the same fate, very slowly.

* * *

Merida placed Jack's letter down and neatly kept it somewhere safe, in case she needed it for reference. It was time for Hiccup's letter, but if Merida was honest, she would have wished she had read a letter from Rapunzel.

 _Dear Merida_

 _It's Hiccup again and I'm glad that this time I have a few things to share. I never convinced the elder, Gothi, that I wasn't up to anything when searching the archives of Berk… so that's why I snuck in and stole them. She allowed Fishlegs to read the archives, but not me… What was so suspicious about me? They never trusted me when I tried to help them during the raids. Maybe because I usually ended up making things worse since my dad had to save my skin all the time._

 _Well it's great that you're writing to me. I never expected for you, Jack, and Kristoff to write anything. So I guess it's not only me that's not getting any letters from Rapunzel. I sure hope she's all right too. I'm getting the feeling something bad happened, but that's just me being paranoid._

 _What you said about Professor Black and Thorburn does sound interesting, but I really hope it's not true. I'd hate to know that our enemies have their own within Hogwarts. The archives haven't mentioned anything about Black, but it did mention Thorburn. Apparently, before Year X, Thorburn and Gothi went to Hogwarts during the same time. Gothi was in Hufflepuff, while Thorburn was a Ravenclaw. This proves Thorburn was there with Gothi during Year X. Too bad that's all I know that could help with your investigation._

 _For my investigation, I found out a couple of things. During Year X, Berk was also part of the war. There was a dragon army against us, and our army helped fend them off. The dragon army was led by a man called Drago Bludvist, but it says here that he died in the war, which ended the dragon army. If the Dark Weapon do remain, then the only dragon army they have are the Outcast Tribe's, since they are Berk's mortal enemy. The Berserkers, which Dagur's from, aren't our enemies for now. They've invaded many places, like Heather Leifsson and Oliver Steinsson's homes. For Berk… They visit us a few times to sign a treaty, which I guess is good news for us._

 _But the choice for me is if I trust Dagur. He wasn't good to be around at Hogwarts, and Jack did not like him one bit. If only Rapunzel replied. I had some info to share with her since she is more interested in finding out about Xander and his friends. I guess I have no choice but to tell you and Jack instead. I remember Jack told me he had to stay away from Dagur, because Xander told him so. It could be a coincidence… or it was because Xander and Dagur were up to something together. But that's if Xander was somehow affiliated with the Dark Weapon, which I needed to hear from Rapunzel for this theory to work._

 _When we get back, and if Xander and Yang make it back from whatever they're doing, they might just fill out the entire puzzle for us._

 _Also, I'm sure Jack said the same thing about North in his letter to you. I don't even know how we'll cope in Charms this year, but I guess it's good for Jack's sister._

 _So I sure hope you're having fun at home. If your mum gets on your nerves, just remember that you spend three months there and the rest at Hogwarts with us._

 _From Hiccup_

She placed the letter down. She had filled them in with what she knew—or rather, what her mother knew. She had asked her mother about the professors such as Black and Thorburn. Elinor too thought they were suspicious people, but nothing proved their guilt. Hiccup's message also supported the idea that they were just shady people in general and nothing more.

* * *

Hiccup watched as one dragon flew past the forge. He felt the vibrations of the second dragon flying by. Its roar was high-pitched to reveal that it was a Deadly Nadder, one of Astrid's favourites. There was nothing he could do to help at the moment, but craft more weapons. He wished Vikings were more conservative of their axes and shields, but change was always impossible for them.

Fishlegs returned from Meade Hall. He had to file away all the archives for Hiccup, since Gothi won't suspect anything if she saw Fishlegs with the parchments. He never asked Fishlegs to help, until Fishlegs went to read them once again. Hiccup had to tell Fishlegs that he had it or else Fishlegs would've raised attention about the missing parchments. The only thing Hiccup left out was the fact he was researching Year X.

There wasn't an Outcast raid at the moment—in fact, there had been no raids this summer. Hiccup had predicted that the Outcasts have held back, waiting for Hiccup and his friends to head back to Hogwarts. Only then, would destroying Berk be easier.

"So nothing went wrong?" asked Hiccup. His friend shook his head.

"I would've been questioned by Gothi, but thank Thor for that Changewing attack."

"Yeah. I never thought I'd be thanking them even though they're corroding our buildings with their acidic breath." Hiccup said sarcastically.

Changewings were territorial, but would engage in a fight if something of theirs were to be taken. These dragons were usually red, having side horns from their head. They were smaller than most dragons, except for Terrible Terrors. Their teeth were visible from their bottom jaw, which made it appear somewhat threatening. What made these dragons dangerous were their abilities to camouflage like a cuttlefish.

"Why are they here anyway?" asked Hiccup.

"Hmm… they only leave their nest if they lost something… Hiccup!" yelled Fishlegs. "That gem I found! It's not a 'Stone of Good Fortune', it's a Changewing egg!"

"What?" Fishlegs ran off and ignored Hiccup. He was now supposedly heading back to his home to return the dragon egg. Thank Thor Hiccup wasn't in Fishlegs' shoes.

* * *

Rapunzel was crying, again. Her mother could never change; her mother _would_ never change. Despite Rapunzel's efforts in standing up for herself when she was in her first year, Gothel's punishments gradually returned back to the way it always was. She tried persuading her mother again, but nothing happened. The only reward for what Rapunzel did was a slap on the cheek and being called 'selfish' and 'rude'.

Gothel grabbed Rapunzel by the arm and dragged her into her room. She locked it, meaning those people were coming.

Rapunzel helplessly crouched in the corner, reminiscing through her memories at Hogwarts. She couldn't wait this time. There was one more week. She didn't know why she was happy at Hogwarts, but now she had found out. She had never loved the excitement of being anywhere but near her mother until now. If Gothel couldn't change, then Rapunzel would.

Xander, Yang, John, and Lily were now off her list of suspicions. She wished that everything would point to her mother. Deep down she wished her mother was guilty. But who'd listen to a little girl?

Rapunzel wasn't crazy thinking this and she was going to prove it. Her first hint was the people visiting. What did they want? Why have they been visiting? And why is Rapunzel kept away from them?

There were no more hints for Rapunzel. Pascal sadly sat on her knee, trying to ease the pain as usual. There were probably a thousand more hints on Jack, Merida, and Hiccup's letters. Pascal tried to convince her to hide them, but it was no use. Gothel was expecting these letters for some reason. She burnt them right in front of Rapunzel. It reminded her of the time Gothel burnt the gift Jack gave her for Christmas.

A few hours passed and the door clicked, opening with her mother walking up to her.

"Rapunzel? Love?" called Gothel. Rapunzel looked up. She was submissive at this point so she could avoid another punishment from her mother.

"Yes, Mother?" replied Rapunzel. Pascal was hiding again.

"I have some good news for you." Gothel said. "When you go to Hogwarts… I'm coming too."

Rapunzel was surprised. "Wha—How? Why?"

"Why don't you let me explain before asking so many questions," hissed Gothel. "Your Headmaster sent me a letter about teaching at Hogwarts. I guess he recognises my skills of being a wonderful teacher."

Rapunzel didn't want to believe this. Her mother was obviously mistaken. There wasn't anything for Gothel to teach at Hogwarts. The only opening she knew at the school was the hospital wing. If Gothel worked there, Rapunzel would've planned to avoid all injuries at all costs—even though she barely got them. She was reminded of when she versed the Dusk Droids, and was badly injured. It was miraculous she was somehow healed from the wounds before they were taken back.

Rapunzel hoped Gothel got mixed up, so her reaction of finding out about her real job would make Rapunzel's day. But this was good. Gothel told Rapunzel this news after those suspicious people came. She had found a second clue.


	2. Welcome Back

The Hogwarts Express was beginning to move, slowly starting its journey to Hogwarts. Merida was relieved they were finally going back. There was nothing she could have wanted more. She was curious with the new things they were going to learn at Hogwarts. The classes were the same with the exception of Flying and Dusk Studies. Flying was only taught to first years, meaning Merida and her friends were fully capable of flying their broomsticks without help. It was great since broomsticks were able to fly anywhere without being in range of Magic Pinnacles.

Merida already had her own broomstick, but it was impractical to take it with her to Hogwarts. For Quidditch, the rules had changed long ago. Broomsticks owned by students used to be allowed during matches, but had set a disadvantage as the better models were accessible to only the wealthy. Therefore, all players had to use the same broomstick, so Merida chose not to bring her own; it was like taking your own car to school, which was what someone like John Wan would do. She was going to try out for Quidditch with Jack. She wanted to be a Beater and Jack wanted to be a chaser.

Hiccup was steadily getting used to being in the air on broomsticks. He was lucky to have passed Flying last year, otherwise he'd have to repeat it. Hiccup and Rapunzel carried no desires to join Quidditch to compete against Jack and Merida.

None of the four chose to continue Dusk Studies. Hiccup knew a few from Berk continuing, like Astrid. Jack chose not to continue even though it would've explained a bit about the Dark Weapon. The second year of Dusk Studies was going to go into the science of Dusk Weaponry, which wasn't what Jack was interested in either.

"Nobody's taking the spot of the school matron, are they?" asked Rapunzel. Whether Rapunzel's friends knew or not, Rapunzel had some bad news for them.

"I heard someone was filling in. Why?" asked Merida.

"It's my mother. She told me she was going to be working at Hogwarts." Rapunzel's friends shared the same look. They knew it was a terrible relationship, but it wasn't for them to talk about it; they wouldn't even know how to help out.

"Did she tell you?" asked Jack. Rapunzel nodded. She had told Rapunzel along with other cocky comments about herself.

Rapunzel wasn't going to tell them about what she thought of her mother. She was going to do this on her own, without help. She knew her mother was up to something, and if there were to be someone who'd discover it, it would be Rapunzel.

The rest of the train ride was quiet. Everyone wanted to sleep. It was like time travelling. When they closed their eyes, they would wake up in another time. But only Jack was trying to sleep as this was his first time away from Emma.

The door slid open and only the boys were awake. It was MacGuffin who opened the door and he was apparently lost. They could see it in his eyes.

"Um… Have you seen… Macintosh and Dingwall?" MacGuffin asked slowly.

"Not on this train," said Hiccup. "I figured they'd be getting to Hogwarts using another method, since they live in Scotland."

MacGuffin paused, as if he had a sudden realisation. "Youdonothavetousethetrain?"

Hiccup carefully processed MacGuffin's speech. "No, from what I've heard, you don't have to. Remember Elizabeth from our house? She comes here with her father. He uses Apparition to get to Hogsmeade, then he Apparates back to England—but don't worry… I hear Kristoff's compartment is nearby."

MacGuffin nodded and searched for Kristoff's room. He had been spending his time in compartments with strangers. He was too nervous to leave because he'd think those people would perceive it as a rude act. This year he took the opportunity of changing into his uniform to look for his friends, and the strangers would never notice him gone anyway. Finally he was going to spend time with friends.

"Apparition?" asked Jack.

"It's basically teleportation. It's also rare because most of the time it isn't really useful. Ever since the depletion of magic, wizards haven't been able to Apparate to their desired destination. The only areas they can Apparate to are areas within the United Kingdom." Hiccup answered.

"So only in areas where there's magic?"

"Yeah. It works even if the wizard is at an area where there's no magic too, but most of the time they'd want to head back, which is impossible. Rapunzel's mum uses it to take her to King's Cross."

"So how does her mum get back?" The two looked at Rapunzel. She was leaning her head against the side near the door.

"Beats me. I think she uses a Portkey, like the one I use at Arendelle to get back to Berk."

* * *

Hours passed and the train had almost arrived. Hiccup was back to sleeping and Jack was finally able to doze. It was the first time he fell asleep on the train. He also had a vivid dream of flying around the landscape, viewing the lacustrine terrain and soaring above the train tracks.

Merida was the first to wake up. Not knowing how long left until the train finished its journey, she left the carriages to get changed into her uniform.

Merida wondered if professors went on the train with the students, but that would've been inconvenient. The carriages were mainly quiet, so she decided to snoop around. She really wanted to find Xander's carriage, to make sure they got back alive. Maybe she should ask them if they were ready to spill their secrets.

She finally found it, the carriage with Xander and Yang. Rapunzel was right about John and Lily because they were in the same carriage. Yang, Lily and John were fast asleep, but Xander was awake, reading that green book of his. She remembered the time Flynn stole it and they attained the Snow Charm and Core Magic Spell. Was Xander reviewing the spells he learnt?

She looked at Yang, who was on the opposite side with Lily. Yang was sleeping oddly, sitting with her back straight and arms crossed. She then opened her eyes and immediately glared at Merida eye to eye. Merida was already shocked and quickly escaped from view. Yang couldn't have known Merida was there.

Merida made her way into the changing rooms and felt wonderful to be back in her school robe. When she got out, she saw Yang waiting for her.

"Can I help you?" asked Merida.

Yang approaches Merida with intimidation. She was roughly taller than Merida, so it didn't help the Slytherin appear confident about herself. Yang then crafted a smile with her lips.

"Nothing, I was just waiting for the change room to be vacant." She skipped into the one Merida was in and Merida waited for her. She wanted to ask.

The door opened and Yang was in her school robe with the Hufflepuff emblem.

"Oh, you forgot something?" asked Yang.

Merida shook her head.

"So why were you watching us in our compartments?" interrogated Yang.

"I was just looking for the change rooms," lied Merida.

"C'mon, there's no use lying. I have a secret power… remember?"

She didn't know if Yang was able to explain as well as Xander. It was worth a try.

"Xander told me he was going to tell everyone the truth if he and you 'made it'," said Merida. "I don't suppose you know what he was talking about?"

"Sure I do. I'm not sure if I should tell you yet. It really is a lot to take in."

"Just tell me anyway," said Merida. She was eager to hear the truth once and for all.

"Xander and I were part of the Dark Weapon… We—"

"What?! So it's true?!" Merida interrupted.

"Let me explain! Do you want to hear the truth or not?!" yelled Yang. "We were forced to do horrible things, and we hated it. We tried finding the best opportunity to escape, and now here we are."

"This is important! Why didn't you tell anyone last year?!"

"If we did, others could've died. The Dark Weapon would hunt those who knew to minimise any casualties," said Yang.

"So that's why you weren't sure you'd make it. But you obviously did. So what was it you were doing for them? What was their plan?"

"Our mission at Hogwarts was to make sure Jack got back home in time for the Burgess Sweep. He was one of the students outside of Europe who managed to elude the Dark Weapon, so they wanted him dead. They also knew something about Jack."

"Which is…?"

"Something powerful. They never really told us what it was, so we broke into the Restricted Section many times to search, but no results. It was only last year when he unlocked his Core Magic that we knew what it was. Not many people can do it. Even your friends who stole Xander's book are having a tough time figuring it out."

"Is that it? You should know what the Dark Weapon are after since you've done more for them."

"They wipe out our memories for every mission we do so none of us piece the puzzle together. We believed we were with the good people. And I'm not entirely sure of their plan, but I _do_ know their goal. I'm sure you know it as well. The Dark Weapon plan to eliminate magic once and for all."

Merida was shaking slightly. It worried Yang. She wasn't scared; it was just the feeling that the Dark Weapon were real, and they were now trying to fulfil their goals while she's alive. What luck she had.

"Look… Just don't tell anyone. Xander is eager to let the entire world know, but we agreed that I'd be in charge this year. I told Jack last year and he didn't take it well, so I wiped his memories."

"You what?" Merida was getting worried she was going to lose _her_ memories. She debated whether or not to run for it.

"I wiped his memories. Don't worry, for some reason… I think you'll be more trustworthy about it. It's your choice to tell Jack, Rapunzel, and Hiccup, but do not, and I repeat: _Do not_ … tell anyone else. I will wipe your memory, and whoever you told. Then, I'll be less friendly… and you wouldn't know why." Yang left, leaving Merida with some valuable information.

"Why?!" exclaimed Merida. "If you're so 'good' with Xander, why are you so afraid of other people knowing?"

Yang was rubbing her forehead. "Didn't you learn anything as a princess?! Ever heard of the media? They would soon find out and publish what me and Xander say on the Daily Prophet. The Dark Weapon will then find out where we hide, and they'll know when they're compromised. The media is stupid!"

* * *

Merida returned to her compartment, after avoiding the prefects. She saw Nod from afar, but she never expected for him to be one. Didn't he cause a hailstorm last Halloween?

She saw that Jack was fully awake, but she figured she should tell them what Yang told her when they reach Hogwarts. Now was just a bad time.

"So how've you been? Did you go to Bur—Hawthorne?" asked Merida. She was already used to calling it the other name. She knew Jack wouldn't appreciate it.

"Yeah, it was empty. It was dark too, so I couldn't see everything I wanted to." Jack lowered his head, deep in thought. "My house had a hole in it. It was probably from the thing that took Emma."

"Thing? It's curious to think that something like that happened, and Emma made it out alive. Do you think whatever took her wanted to save her? Or did you think it had every intention to use her as bait?" These were good questions from Merida.

"I can't answer all of them. I actually found something strange. In my living room, where that massive hole was, I saw blood on the floor," said Jack. Rapunzel and Hiccup were half awake, listening but not contributing.

"Blood? You don't think it was from your parents, do you?" asked Merida.

"I doubt it. Why would that thing do that if the smoke was going to kill them anyway?"

"That's true. It couldn't have had done that to Emma. We would've seen the scar or wound," said Merida. "Unless, it used a potion on Emma to heal it. Remember? Potions can heal wounds and remove potential scars."

"I also found sand on the ground. It was shining in the light, so it could've been Dreamsand."

"But that would mean… It couldn't have been Mansnoozie. He was at Hogwarts the entire time, helping Gobber and Bunnymund set up the Christmas decorations."

"And magic doesn't work outside of the UK," said Jack.

"That's technically not a spell, Jack. Professor Mansnoozie's ability is not generated by a spell."

"Is it a Semblance?" asked Jack. Merida nodded. "I've heard about it a lot, but I still don't know what it is."

"A Semblance is a unique ability every wizard has. Your Core Magic determines it, since it's always different, like a fingerprint. I don't know a lot about Semblances, but I hear we'll learn more about it when we're in our sixth year."

"So someone else has Purification as their Semblance," said Hiccup out of nowhere.

"Purification?" asked Jack.

"The name of Mansnoozie's Semblance." Merida replied.

"And I have a Semblance?"

"Aye. I do too, but normally we discover it when we're older." Merida was excited to learn what her Semblance was. She then wondered what her friends' Semblances were too.

"Yang mentioned it," said Jack. "She's discovered her Semblance already."

"That's true. She's able to see the past using a Prophecy Record. It's not impossible to figure it out this early."

"Is it always sealed in an orb? North uses a snow globe, which is similar."

"That's just a coincidence. Professor Mansnoozie and Black have their own Semblance, which doesn't require an orb."

"Should I trust them this year?" asked Jack.

"Black and Mansnoozie?" asked Merida.

"No, I mean Xander and Yang." Jack corrected.

"I think we should trust them for now. They may be able to explain what they were up to last year. That's if they succeeded in whatever they were up to of course."

"You're just gonna walk up to Xander and ask him?"

"It wouldn't hurt, though I think Yang is able to answer," replied Merida.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Just a hunch," lied Merida. She was certain telling him now was a bad time.

Jack also hid something from his friends, but he had a reason. North had told him to not tell people including Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel about the Arendelle symbol on the ship that crashed. He didn't know what to say about it anyway.

Muffled voices were heard nearby. Students were beginning to wake up and change into their school robes. The Hogwarts Express was nearly there.

* * *

The students got off to Hogsmeade Station. The school was in view with its lit windows in the dark. They heard Gobber calling to the students, telling the first years to head a different direction.

"Where do we go?" asked Rapunzel.

"Just follow the rest," said Merida.

The second years followed the older students and found themselves near carriages. These carriages were black and had no roofs. What would happen if it rained? The carriages were lined up on the long path that connected Hogsmeade and Hogwarts.

"I guess we load our luggage here," said Hiccup. He noticed Rapunzel standing still, worried about what she saw.

"What is it, Rapunzel?" asked Jack.

They saw her looking at Yang. She was petting the air. They then noticed the carriages had nothing to pull them. It was probably pulled using magic, but that would still raise concerns for Yang.

"What's she doing," asked Merida. The group stopped and could see that Yang was not messing around. She was so happy and was even talking to nothing.

"Hey, you four should be getting on the carriages."

They looked back and saw Hans. He was with MK, Nod, and Elsa, who were already in a carriage, waving at them.

"But Hans…" Hiccup pointed at Yang and Hans knew why they were so shocked.

"There are creatures called Thestrals. These creatures pull the carriages and only those who've seen death can see this beast." Hans explained.

"Can you see them?" asked Jack.

"No, and I don't plan on doing that." Hans got on the carriage, so the rest got on theirs.

While some 'animals' pulled the carriages, the rest notice Jack feeling downcast. He was staring outside, leaning his head on his arm and remaining silent.

"Jack," called Merida. "You're doing that sad thing you always did last year. What's wrong?"

Jack watched and saw the Hiccup and Rapunzel could tell too. He took a deep breath.

"It's about what Hans said. You can only see these animals if you've seen death."

"You wish you saw death?" asked Hiccup.

"It's not like that. It makes me feel bad. I feel as if I was never there for my parents when they died. And Flee most likely can see these creatures, and she witnessed Mum and Dad die all alone. I feel like a horrible person knowing this."

"Well there was nothing you could do, Jack. It wasn't like you wanted it to happen. Even Xander tried to make you stay at Hogwarts. You would've felt even worse if you stayed," said Merida.

"I know."

The ride was silent, and Rapunzel felt as if she needed to say something she had been hiding since the ride began. If her friends were observant, they would've also realised that Rapunzel was being unusually docile like Jack.

"Jack, Merida, Hiccup?" The three looked at Rapunzel, as she too took a deep breath.

"I see them too, the Thestrals." As expected, her friends were shocked. She was going to have to recount her first sight of death.

"What do they look like?" asked Jack.

"They look like horses, but made out of bones. They're all black and I thought you guys saw it when you were looking at Yang." Rapunzel knew Yang was always good with animals. She was very good with Pascal, so seeing her with the Thestrals was not surprising.

"So… you've seen someone die?" asked Hiccup. Rapunzel nodded.

* * *

On one of the average days near Corona, Rapunzel was having lunch with her mother. They were still inside, since leaving the house was restricted. She was ten at that time, and her mother had the same flawless complexion. Rapunzel had researched the plants around Corona, but her mother never allowed for her to explore the forest. Her mother considered allowing her to walk around the village, but it was too risky if she decided to run, or if she got lost.

There was loud banging on the door, and the two females were shocked. Gothel quickly grabbed Rapunzel by the arm and dragged her into her room. She was in such a big rush that she forgot to lock the door for the first time, giving Rapunzel a chance to see what her mother was hiding.

She peeked through the door—which was ajar—and saw her mother, shocked and trying to get the visitors to leave. Gothel was trying to close the door but the visitors were eager to enter.

"Nobody told me I was expecting guests. You must leave at once!"

"But my friend needs your help! I don't know how much time we have," said the girl. She was desperate and it sounded like she was struggling. She was apparently carrying her friend.

Gothel quickly moved the bowls off the dining table, hoping the visitors wouldn't ask why there were two bowls of hazelnut soup. She then opened the door and Rapunzel heard the girl graciously thanking Gothel.

"Just for the record, you should never expect this kindness from me again," said Gothel.

"I'm sorry, please just help him!" said the girl. She had brown skin and extremely short, curly hair. She waited as Gothel took out some glass bottles and was mixing liquids together.

They placed him on the table and took off his shirt, analysing the injury. The boy and girl appeared older than twenty.

"How did he get infected with Black Sand?" asked Gothel.

The girl was thinking if she should lie or not. "Darkcharm."

Gothel paused and turned towards the girl. "Where is he? He'd better not be after you too."

"No, it was just him Darkcharm wanted to hurt." The girl was hysterically crying.

"How did you know about this place?" Gothel stirred a small flask. It was shimmering with golden sparkles.

"He told me about this place," replied the girl. Rapunzel looked at the boy and his skin was grey, but he was still alive. There were black veins on his arms, face, and chest, indicating how long he had the infection.

"What made Darkcharm do this?"

"He—he was angry." That was everything the girl said before breaking down into tears again.

Gothel finished the potion. She was ready to use it to cure the infection, but the boy sprang up from the table. He pushed Gothel against the wall, causing her to drop the potion. The contents were wasted and they were too late.

Gothel was gasping for air, as the boy grabbed her neck, ready to strangle the life out of her. He nearly succeeded, until a blade went through his chest. The girl took out a weapon she carried. It was a katana with a blue handle. She had mustered the courage to jam it into his back, supposedly killing him in the process.

The boy fell on the ground and released Gothel. Rapunzel was too scared to watch any more. She silently closed the door and crouched onto the floor, listening to the conversation instead.

"He's not dead," Rapunzel heard. They were talking about the infection, and how it rapidly healed injuries.

"But… But I stabbed him through the heart!" The girl choked, hearing the boy slowly rise back to life.

"The heart is more to the centre." Gothel was pointing to the middle of her chest.

"Avada Kedavra," said the girl. Nothing happened.

"Magic does not work here, young one."

"Wha—what do I do now?" asked the girl. Gothel opened the cabinet that was too high for Rapunzel to reach. She knew the girl didn't have it in her anymore to kill the boy.

"We'll just use this potion. It will attack his heart and end his suffering. We need to be quick before his wounds regenerate."

"What potion is that?" asked the girl.

"Dragon Poison. It's extremely lethal and it comes from dragons, hence the name. One drop severely puts the body into shock, mainly because of the heart. Two drops will kill the victim." Gothel poured the desired amount of drops into the boy's mouth.

He began writhing in pain and the girl hugged him. It was their last moments together and it was the only time he sounded human. He was in pain, and the girl was begging that this day was all a dream.

Rapunzel blocked her ears and didn't want to hear it anymore. She was praying that things were okay for them. Eventually, Rapunzel accepted what happened. She believed her mother was doing the right thing at the time. There was nothing she could've done to save that boy.

* * *

"Avada Kedavra?" asked Merida.

Rapunzel nodded. "That's what I heard the girl say."

Hiccup and Merida knew what that incantation was for. Throughout the years of wizardkind's existence, there had been laws and regulations. Particular spells were forbidden, like the ones capable of change.

"That was the Killing Curse," said Hiccup. "It instantly kills anyone hit by that spell."

"Curse?" asked Jack.

"A curse is a type of spell, like a charm or a jinx. They mainly produce negative effects, but there are horrible ones called Unforgivable Curses, which are banned. If any of those unforgivable spells were to be used, then the Ministry would be alerted immediately. Imagine if the spell worked at Rapunzel's house. Your mother would've been in serious trouble." Merida said.

"She _should_ be in serious trouble," thought Rapunzel.

"But here's what's confusing me," said Merida. "You said you looked away when you saw her stab the boy in the chest, but your mum said he was still alive. How are you able to see the Thestrals if you didn't really see him die?"

"I don't know," replied Rapunzel.

They looked up and could see the sky above them. The moon was there, shining over them proudly. Beyond the path, they could see Hogwarts growing in size.


	3. Second Years

Hiccup sat on his table with the rest of the Hufflepuffs. Again, it was a traditional feast, so they all had to sit at their designated table. There was a huge empty spot next to Hiccup's friends. They assumed it was for the first years that had to go through the Sorting ceremony.

Kristoff was next to Hiccup, and MacGuffin was in front, adjacent to Macintosh and Dingwall. They had confirmed that they got the Hogwarts by foot, whereas MacGuffin had to use the Floo Network to get to King's Cross, which was inconvenient. He had planned to reach Hogwarts by foot from now on.

"What did you two do when you got to Hogwarts early?" asked Kristoff.

"Nothing much. They didn't even let us enter the Hogwarts grounds, so we had to wait for the train to get on those horse carriages." Macintosh answered. "We were allowed to go to Hogsmeade. The shops were still open and we had a lot of Galleons to spend. The perks of having a wealthy family."

The students were probably starving. They had to wait until the Sorting finished before the food appeared on the table.

"So how was your summer, Kristoff?" asked Hiccup. "You said you climbed mountains, which was why your handwriting was… messy."

"Oh, so you could read it? That's good then. Yeah, I live with a bunch of trolls who know about magic too. The problem is: I'm a person, so I have different needs from trolls."

"Different needs?"

"That's right. Humans need to eat, drink, and have fun. I also need money to be able to get some of those things. I sometimes go with these men who harvest Blue Dusk Crystals. The demand for ice is incredible during the summer at Arendelle."

"So have you been in the castle?" asked Hiccup.

"No, I've never been. The adults tell me to stay outside because it's 'adult business'. It's not too bad though. They pay me a fair amount to buy food for both me and Sven."

"Really? In that case, if I do see them when I'm at Arendelle, I'll be sure to look for you out the gates," said Hiccup, "and Sven… That's your reindeer, isn't it? I can't imagine having a pet who's also your closest companion."

"It's the best, especially when you want someone to understand you," said Kristoff.

"Do you use magic to understand him?"

"Who needs magic to be able to understand each other? It's not the language Sven needs to understand. It's the emotions I feel. It should be the same for a dragon."

"Well I wouldn't know what that's like." Hiccup added.

"Why not? Don't you live on an island of dragons?"

"Yeah, but… I don't get a dragon until I'm thirteen," lied Hiccup. He didn't want Kristoff or the other three to think he was a typical Hufflepuff, a real coward.

"One year to go then." Kristoff said, and Hiccup nodded and pretended to be excited.

"So how was your holiday, MacGuffin?" asked Hiccup. The large Hufflepuff sat up straight, almost pretending to not hear Hiccup. He was unwilling to share.

* * *

The path was pounded on, as the group of soldiers patrolled the region ahead of them. There were horses, carriages, men, and women clumped up into a group to scare off wandering animals. If these creatures were to not leave, they were to be dealt with, using extreme countermeasures.

MacGuffin was with his father's clan. He usually went on these travels with his dad because the holidays were boring at his hometown, also called MacGuffin. His family was treated like the rest of the people, except MacGuffin had some expectations to fulfil. It was the same for Macintosh and Dingwall, but not for Merida. He never met Merida before Hogwarts. Her father spoke about the Princess a lot, and said that she had always wanted to join them.

It was Dunbroch that was treated differently. They had power over the three clans, including the MacGuffins. It was Fergus Dunbroch who inspired the three armies to fight as one, so enemies would falter during battle. This was why they chose Fergus as their rightful ruler, and it was why Clan Dunbroch was highly respected.

He wanted to be like them. He had asked his parents if he could go to a Muggle school nearby—like Merida—but it didn't go well for him. On the first week, it had been reported that he was bullied for his size and his accent. MacGuffin commended the Princess of Dunbroch, for being able to survive many years at primary school before joining Hogwarts. He never got to tell her that.

MacGuffin not only wanted to prove his worth to his father and mother, he wanted to shine among the clans and be respected too. He had a problem. He was always timid to be around his father, and he had inner conflict with who he really wanted to be. The competition between Mark Macintosh and Norman Dingwall made things difficult as well.

He never wanted to be rich or strong. He wanted acceptance and had a thirst to go on a journey to discover more about himself. Hogwarts was his start and the people he met were a good sign. Anna was one of the people who knew how he felt. She and her friends offered to spend some time with MacGuffin. Even though he declined, he knew there were more offers before it was too late. He had six more years, and fate would usually let him know when the time was right.

Today wasn't what fate wanted him to do. He found a piece of wood floating in a river and straight away identified it as a Dugbog. It was abnormally large, and his dad told him to be careful while the soldiers dealt with it.

MacGuffin did not listen. He wanted to take it down himself. The troops were already having trouble with the Dugbog, as it emerged from the water, causing the water to crash onto nearby people. People from afar fired arrows, and casted spells on it, but it wasn't working. The giant Dugbog was already injuring people.

Before lashing out another of its finned paw at the people, it went crashing down. They were surprised that it was MacGuffin who tackled the beast on his own. They cheered for him and shouted to him, telling him to finish it off.

The boy didn't know what to do. Killing the Dugbog was the last thing he had in his mind. It wasn't wrong for him to kill it, but it wasn't something he wanted to do. He was about to give up and spare the creature, but a war hammer was thrown towards his direction. His father had thrown it, and he gave a look towards his son. The look said, "Don't disappoint me, boy."

MacGuffin couldn't believe the events that followed after that glance from his father. He ignored the helpless eyes of the creature, as it begged for him to not kill it. MacGuffin smashed the hammer into its skull, ignoring the blood pouring from the creature.

The army cheered and MacGuffin actually felt better. He forgot about the creature. All he cared about was the appreciation from his father and the soldiers, and he hoped to share this story with his friends at Hogwarts.

* * *

It was at this moment MacGuffin remembered the creature. He deeply regretted it and wondered what his friends would think right now. This was a slow build-up of remorse that had bottled up inside of him all along.

"I… I killed a Dugbog," said MacGuffin ruefully.

"What's a Dugbog?" asked Kristoff.

"It's… It's…" MacGuffin couldn't finish because the more he pictured it in his mind, the more he remembered how desperate the Dugbog didn't want to die.

"It was huge!" yelled Macintosh. "It was like… bigger than twenty men and it was brutal. We were actually about to lose more men because of the monster. Tell them, Dingwall!"

"Aye… The Dugbog was ready to strike and spells weren't working on it because of its size, but MacGuffin came out of nowhere and knocked it over. He then got a hammer and crushed the creature's head."

Hiccup stopped listening to Dingwall's story about MacGuffin. He then saw MacGuffin was trying to not listen too. Kristoff listened, but it was only Macintosh who was fully absorbed into the story. Hiccup didn't know how he'd survive in a war with the Outcasts if he trained a dragon next year. The thought of the lives he'd claim in the future were appearing rather daunting to the twelve-year-old.

The door opened, and Hiccup saw Professor Moonhaven escorting the first years near the High Table. The Sorting Wand was there, and Hiccup hadn't seen Core Magic in a while.

The first student picked up the wand, and a burst of red fire escaped. It morphed into a lion, roaring loudly for everyone to hear. Some first years had blocked their ears, unaware of what Core Magic was. Hiccup remembered last year, when he wanted to be the first who got sorted into Gryffindor among his friends from Berk. He envied the one that just got sorted.

Hiccup then thought about what Jack was thinking of. Jack hadn't seen Core Magic since he destroyed the Dusk Droid, and he wished he never did that. Emma was fine with Jack, but he always remembered the look she gave him that day.

When the ceremony ended, Professor Lunar stood up at the podium to deliver his speech. He was introducing a new professor, one that would be filling in for Professor North for this year.

"Please give a warm welcome to Professor Gothel."

Hiccup was stunned. He knew that name. It was Rapunzel's mum.

* * *

It was going to be the best and worst year for Merida. She saw her timetable for the year and she was going to enjoy her Mondays. Transfiguration began on 9:45 am to 10:30 am. There was also Dusk Studies in the afternoon, but Merida wasn't continuing it. The worst part of the year was of course about Rapunzel's mother teaching Charms.

Rapunzel had no idea that North wasn't teaching this year, since she never read her friends' letters. She had always assumed Gothel was going to be the school matron, but it was confirmed to be someone else. She was so convinced that she told her friends her mother was the new matron as if it was fact.

"That's not fair! Have you seen my timetable?" Jack held it in front of Merida's face.

"That's not so bad, Jack. You have the third and fourth period free and then lunch break afterwards," said Merida. "You should look at your schedule for Tuesday."

Jack looked and saw that all periods were filled. It was like his Mondays last year.

"You had an easy Friday last year, so quit complaining," argued Hiccup.

"What's your schedule today, Hiccup?" Hiccup handed the timetable to Rapunzel.

"Double Potions after lunch with Jack, huh? That's not so bad…"

"It is, if the teacher is Professor Black. I could literally spend the entire day talking to any teacher but Black," Hiccup remarked.

Merida was ready to leave early after finishing her breakfast. She was going to make the most of today by practicing archery. She managed to sneak her bow with her without her mother realising. She had a feeling her chauffeur, Daryl, knew because he covered for her when Elinor asked.

"Since we all have free periods before lunch, I'll see you guys at the edge of the Forbidden Forest," said Merida, grabbing her bow and quiver.

* * *

"So do you know anyone continuing Dusk Studies?" asked Jack. He was sitting with Rapunzel in Charms, as they waited for their new professor to arrive.

"Anna and Astrid. Why?"

"Just wondering, so they'd tell us what they've been learning about. It could solve a bit more to our mystery. I know that Flynn is continuing Dusk Studies."

It said that the spell depends on the age of the caster, and once the spell is casted, it'll be easier to cast it again.

Rapunzel giggled a bit, and Jack was curious to know why.

"Remember when Flynn got the Core Magic Spell?" Jack nodded. "They still haven't been able to cast it, so they gave up. But only you were successful."

"Yeah, so?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"It said that it's easier to cast it on your second time… Jack, have you ever tried to cast it again?" asked Rapunzel.

"No, I haven't. I don't know if it's going to happen again, and I don't want it to. Should we tell Flynn and the Ravenclaws?"

"That should be your choice, Jack. They might make you do it again, and we'll have to tell them the truth that you destroyed the Dusk Droid, not Xander."

Jack didn't know what the consequences were if he told them, despite Headmaster Lunar telling them not to. What was the worst that could happen?

Anna was sitting in front of the two with Mavis. She turned around and they were worried if she heard the entire thing.

"I heard what you guys said earlier," said Anna, "and I know for sure that Miriam Funar is also continuing Dusk Studies."

"Who?" asked Jack. He was slightly suspicious of Anna, since he saw her family's symbol on the thing that destroyed his entire town.

"She's in Hufflepuff and she's friends with Anna," whispered Rapunzel.

"So is it true that the new Charms professor is your mum?" asked Anna.

Jack looked at Rapunzel as if he knew how she felt. She was tense, and she didn't like talking about her.

The class went silent and Gothel slowly walked to the front of the class. She scanned the room to have a good look at all the students. She was creeping them all out.

Nobody could see how the two were related, both personality and appearance. Rapunzel had straight blonde hair, while her mother were curly black. They were like opposites.

"Good morning class. I am your Charms professor for the year. Maybe if we're lucky, for the rest of your education." She had a menacing smile, like she was going to enjoy torturing the students.

She began writing on the chalkboard with a displeasing sound every time the chalk made contact on the board. Rapunzel still couldn't believe this was real. North made Charms enjoyable, knowing what interested the students. He explored the wonders of magic and how it became a part of the wizard. Magic was not a tool, but a characteristic that makes every wizard unique. The more Rapunzel thought about it, the more she felt as if he was talking about Core Magic, since it's unique too.

Nobody would ever get the chance nor would they understand why North made the decision to stop teaching this year. Jack assumed it was because he had to take care of Emma.

"Before we begin, I would like to address a few things. First of all, I would like for all of you to forget what you learnt from your previous professor. I have no idea what garbage he taught you. Magic is not your friend. It's a mechanism that helps you defend yourself, but sometimes it can destroy yourself in the process. I can teach you all how to master the skills of casting spells, but I need you all to stop thinking of magic as if it's something beautiful, like how the Muggles think of it."

Jack was disgusted with her speech, but he also felt defeated. He had always believed that magic was the cause of his suffering, his family's suffering. If it never existed, he would've been with them right now, happily doing what they've always done before school. He would be playing at the playground with all the children in Hawthorne.

It brought Jack to another thought: Who was responsible for the Burgess Sweep? If it wasn't Xander and Yang, then he'd want to figure out who it was before something else happened to him. They caused Jack's family to perish in the smoke, and took Emma from him. Xander was still hiding something. He apparently had something to tell them if he made it to Hogwarts this term. Jack could remember seeing Xander, but the thought never occurred to him to ask. Hiccup suspected the Outcasts; Merida suspected Professor Black; and Rapunzel thought this was all bigger than what they knew, which was probably true.

Jack would've loved to be in Xander or Yang's Charms class. Last year he was with Slytherin, but this year was with Ravenclaw. Xander would've been reacting even more than Jack—if he had emotions. Yang would definitely be standing on her chair and throwing words back at Gothel. That would've made Jack's day, but probably not for Rapunzel. Seeing someone who scared her everyday to begin yelling in front of people could trigger emotions.

"Garbage?! You're the one that speaks that language!" yelled one of the students. It was Christopher Salcedo, the Gryffindor Jack knew. He was always close with William, so Jack never really spoke to them often. While he was usually aggressive to teachers in class, he was approachable and friendly towards the students.

"Excuse me?" said Gothel. The students were trying to not react. They were too scared of what she'd do to Christopher, but they also wanted to cheer for him. Smiles were marked on all of their faces by Christopher's lash.

"Do not question the teachings of Professor North. He is—and will always be—the best Charms professor. You think you can just waltz into this room and pretend like you know everything? You don't even have the slightest of who we are." Christopher stood proudly and wasn't afraid of the consequences.

"What's your name?" asked Gothel.

"Christopher Salcedo. Remember it bi—"

"Detention, Christopher," said Gothel. It was an immediate reply and Christopher sat back down, not regretting a thing.

Jack couldn't help but smile as well. It was his first mistake today, as Gothel was coincidentally watching him at that moment.

"Do you think this is funny? Mr Overland?" Gothel then eyed Rapunzel.

Jack could already feel what Rapunzel was feeling. Soon, Gothel would 'punish' Rapunzel for being friends with a delinquent like him. He had to ease the tension for Rapunzel's sake.

"Sorry…" said Jack.

"A sorry is not enough. You'll be spending detention with Mr Salcedo." Gothel resumed with her teachings, spitting out more rubbish that was the opposite of what North had taught them.

When class ended, Gothel kept Rapunzel back as expected. Jack then made a promise to himself, a promise that if Gothel hurt Rapunzel right in front of him, he'd not hesitate to protect Rapunzel. Gothel was obviously more skilled than Jack, but if he casted a spell on her without her knowing, it could work.

Jack felt a powerful energy within him. He didn't know what it was, but he realised that it could be his Core Magic, tempting him to cause harmful decisions. He was just thinking about hurting Rapunzel's mother. Those weren't his thoughts.

* * *

Gossip had already spread about Gothel. The entire school disagreed with the way she taught her first class. There was a queue of students waiting at the Headmaster's office, ready to complain about his decision of making Gothel the new Charms professor.

MacGuffin and Macintosh were in the library. It was a long way until Potions began after lunch. They didn't have the slightest where Dingwall was. He was probably with Hiccup or Kristoff, talking about something in the common room.

Macintosh wasn't afraid of having Professor Gothel, but MacGuffin was. They saw Anna and Mavis entering the library. Perhaps MacGuffin could ask them about Gothel. It was also a good opportunity to become friends with Anna, since she offered last year.

"Anna." MacGuffin called. The two Ravenclaw females noticed and headed his way.

"You had Charms?" asked MacGuffin in a careful attempt to control his tempo.

"If you're wondering about Professor Gothel, then yes, the rumours are true." The two sat in front of the Hufflepuffs, probably waiting for more Ravenclaws to come.

"We don't even know why North left nor do we know if he'll be back." Mavis said.

"Who's the Head of Gryffindor?" asked Macintosh.

"Not sure. Maybe we should ask a first year Gryffindor. Usually the Head of House greet the students in the common rooms on their first day. I also doubt it's Gothel… I wonder what house she belongs to." Anna said while taking out a textbook. She was preparing for Dusk Studies in the afternoon.

"Iheardrumoursaboutlastyear—rumoursabouttheduskdroidattack." MacGuffin said without thinking about his pacing.

"Nobody understands you!" Macintosh pointed out.

"Rumours about what?" asked Mavis, which took the others by surprise, including MacGuffin.

"You understand him?" asked Anna.

"Sure, I've lived for centuries to understand fast-talkers and unusual dialects," said Mavis.

"So you've travelled the world when magic was around? What was it like?" asked Anna.

"I was there before Year X, yes… but I wasn't allowed to explore the world. My dad thought I was too young."

"Howoldwereyouthen? asked MacGuffin.

"Around twenty-years-old. I know now that that age is extremely young for a vampire like me. It wasn't that bad… my dad actually allowed me to come here when I turned one-hundred and eleven years of age."

"So here's the first time you've been away from home?" Mavis nodded to Macintosh.

"Anyway… what about the rumour, MacGuffin?"

"Ihearthattheduskdroidwasalieanditwasxanderwhoattacked."

Mavis reiterated MacGuffin's words for them. "So apparently the Dusk Droid was a hoax made up by the professors. It was to probably make people more afraid of the Forbidden Forest. It's not just that… Apparently it was never Xander who helped destroy the Dusk Droid. Instead, he was the attacker who tried to hurt Rapunzel and her friends."

"But that doesn't make any sense," said Anna.

"Hey, I'm just saying what he's saying, and he's just saying what he had heard." Mavis defended. "I know… ridiculous. If that was true then it'll be weird that the professors didn't do anything to Xander."

"How about I ask Hiccup?" suggested Macintosh.

"Are you even friends with him?" Anna interjected. "I think MacGuffin is more closer with Hiccup."

They all looked at MacGuffin. He never thought of himself as Hiccup's friend. He pointed to himself. "Me?"

* * *

"Rapunzel, may I speak with you privately?" Gothel and Rapunzel were on the other side of the room, talking quietly so the two Gryffindors wouldn't be able to hear.

Apparently detention meant now to Gothel, which was wrong. Whenever a student received detention—from a professor or a prefect—they would be given a time to see a professor, and do whatever the professor requested. Now, Jack and Christopher were meant to have Transfiguration with Bunnymund, a more tolerable professor in Jack's opinion.

"What is it, Mother?" asked Rapunzel. She knew Gothel didn't have it in her to punish her at the school, not while everyone could see.

"Why do you bother having friends like them?" accused Gothel.

"Because they are kind to me." It was a bold move from Rapunzel. She didn't think about how passively aggressive it was, but it was too late anyway.

"Is yelling back at the professor a kind thing?"

"No, Mother." She stared at the floor and avoided her mother's killer-like eyes. A single glance was strong enough to intimidate anyone, similar to how Yang intimidated people.

"That's what I thought, flower. Anyway this isn't the reason why I kept you back."

"Then what is the reason?"

Gothel waited until Rapunzel looked at her. The grey eyes were tearing into Rapunzel's soul.

"I have heard stories about your time at Hogwarts. Did you honestly believe I'd never find out? You snuck into the Dark Forest with you friends and almost put yourself at risk of danger!"

"My friend needed my help!" argued Rapunzel. Jack and Christopher noticed and watched, making Gothel lower her tone.

"Careful now, Rapunzel. If you continue to act that way, I could eject you out of this school."

Rapunzel's heart stopped. That was the worst thing that could happen to her. A life without her friends and a life at the cottage with her mother, were horrible things.

"Do you believe in the will-o'-the-wisp, Rapunzel?"


	4. Detention

The bell rang and Merida was ready for Transfiguration. She had to admit that this subject was fun compared to her other classes. The first half of the previous year required memorising spells and theories. The final few months last year was all about using those theories to transform objects into another. Merida's favourite was turning the matchsticks into needles; she planned to use that knowledge to transfigure sticks found in the forests into arrows. She'd never run out if she achieved that.

The Slytherins were all in the classroom, waiting for the others to come. Professor Bunnymund was already there, writing on the board with diagrams and notes.

The first Gryffindor was Lily, who looked spooked out. They Slytherins already heard the rumours. Professor Gothel was going to ruin Charms and there was nothing that could be done. It had been only five minutes since the second period began, and rumours were spreading like a disease. Eventually, the rest of the Gryffindors came, talking about Gothel, which annoyed Professor Bunnymund.

"Can we begin the class?" Bunnymund was reviewing the notes they learnt last year. He then checked attendance to make sure everyone was present. He also had a feeling that Gothel kept some back because the class was a little too quiet.

"Who are we missing?" asked Bunnymund.

Astrid stood up to respond. "Jack and Christopher. They got in an argument with the new professor and earned detention."

"An argument?" Astrid shook her head.

"Not exactly, Professor. Christopher was doing the talking—as usual. Jack didn't do anything, but smiled like the rest of us."

"Detention is normally reported to Professor Moonhaven, who's acting as the Head of Gryffindor while North is gone. After that, Moonhaven should be deciding when they serve detention, which shouldn't interrupt their schedules." Bunnymund explained.

"So that new professor is wrong?" asked Flynn. "Shouldn't we do something?"

"No, Rider. There's nothing I can even do about that."

"What do you mean?"

Bunnymund began pacing around the classroom, pausing his lesson. It was fine since it was the first class of the year, so they were in no rush.

"The Headmaster, Professor Lunar, has a strange way of thinking. This year, he had just announced that North was not going to be at Hogwarts, and now, someone new is taking over. If he asked me, I would've told him that it was a load of crap." Professor Bunnymund then sat on his desk.

"So who did he talk to?" asked Astrid.

"North knew of course. He also spoke to Pitch and Professor Thorburn, the Divinations professor." Bunnymund answered.

Merida felt a wave of shock pulsating through her skin. She felt the goosebumps growing on her arms. Professor Black and Thorburn were always mentioned with bad news. This was another clue she had to remember. If Rapunzel's mother was hired, with those two knowing, then this was definitely not a good sign. She could feel it.

"So where's North? And why did he have to leave?" asked Flynn.

"That shouldn't be your business. What you _should_ know is that I think hiring someone new was a bad move from Lunar." Bunnymund hopped off the desk and continued the class.

Revising the work from last year was quick. They were already learning a new spell that was considered useful for them. Bunnymund demonstrated the spell, and waved his wand over a letter and said, "Indago, Astrid Hofferson". The letter transformed into a paper plane and flew towards her.

"I'm sure you're all familiar with that spell. The only twist in this lesson is making the letter turn into something else other than a paper plane. For example…" Bunnymund casted the spell on another letter that was lying on his desk.

"Indago, Flynn Rider." The letter floated and students watched closely as it transformed into something else. There was an extra piece of blank paper that merged with the letter, probably to make the transformation easier.

It transformed into a paper rabbit, which hopped its way towards Flynn. He picked it up and read it, giving a strange expression with what was written on the message. He glanced over at Astrid and they were sharing the same thoughts.

"The possibilities with your creations are endless. I don't expect for you to successfully deliver your message, since it's difficult, but you should be able to create something by the end of class. Surprise me please."

The students tore out pages from their notebook, writing on them and then attempting to send it over to the person nearby. Merida heard names getting called all over the place, but she didn't hear her name unfortunately. If Jack was here, he'd be trying to send it to her and vice versa.

"Indago, Heather Leifsson." Merida focussed, as the letter began hovering. It folded poorly into an animal in Merida's mind. She quickly took it back, otherwise people would've seen her atrocious work. She focussed again on the pile of papers and it was now working.

The letter was floating as a perfectly folded dove. It began floating towards Heather and Tailfire's table, but it lost flight and dropped on the ground. She was slightly disappointed, but there was no way other people in the room could've casted a perfect delivery, unless they were directly next to that person.

Isabella Tailfire noticed the letter and picked it up, returning it to Merida. Tailfire apparently tried to picture a fireball, but ended up incinerating her letter, so she decided to picture a crane.

Merida looked back and saw Xander with Lily. They weren't talking, which confused the red-haired girl. Merida could've sworn they were friends, but the tension was obvious. They weren't even talking about whatever they were planning against the Dark Weapon. Xander sat silently and didn't even try to attempt casting the spell.

A paper dragon was approaching Merida, but it fell on the ground. Astrid left her seat and picked it up. It belonged to her and she was trying to get it to the front tables, where William and Quinn were. On her second try, the whole class watched and it successfully landed on Quinn's palms. The class applauded and Professor Bunnymund was impressed.

"We don't use this method because they usually weigh more, since you use more paper. It would either take long or fail halfway to its destination. Imagine you were sending it back home." Bunnymund watched as in front of everyone were their own creations. He then saw that Xander did not have anything.

"Why don't you try, Yates? You _should_ at least participate." He waited along with the class. He loved doing this to Xander because it not only agitated the child, but it also motivated him to participate.

"Sorry." Xander grabbed his wand out of chagrin and began waving it over the letter. He didn't say an incantation, but the paper was ready to transform. It turned into a snake, but it wasn't made out of paper. He had managed to turn that piece of paper into an actual snake.

The snake slithered across from the back of the room. It reached the second row of desks and made its way on Merida's. It watched her, with its slanted pupils. People were beginning to worry, until it morphed back into the letter it originally was.

Merida opened it and was wondering what Xander wrote for her.

 _Rip it once if Yang told you. Rip it as many times as you can if she did not._

Merida did as the note instructed. The class was confused and thought she ripped it out of anger, which was what Xander was intending. If she ripped it once, it was a hateful message. If she ripped it many times, it was a private message that had to be destroyed afterwards.

"Not exactly what I was expecting, but it managed to get delivered, and it was a complete transfiguration without the incantation. Impressive, Yates, but I'd suggest using your words more carefully to not tick Dunbroch off."

"Understood," replied Xander.

* * *

Merida's only class on Monday was finished. She was heading back to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where she remembered the exact tree she was near before Transfiguration began. She parted the bushes and took out her bow. She had a quiver that held her arrows. She now yearned to be able to transfigure sticks into arrows.

She drew the bowstring and aimed carefully at the tree branch. She could see the minor dents on the wood caused by her other arrows. Usually the first arrow was tricky, because she literally had no targets unless she drew it. The second arrow had a target. All she had to aim for was where the first arrow landed.

She wasn't feeling tired, unlike the other Mondays. She made sure to eat as much during breakfast so she wouldn't have to go back before lunch. She even packed an apple with her from the kitchens, just in case she was feeling a little peckish.

"Merida!" called Hiccup. She wasn't turning to look at him because she was in the middle of making another shot.

Last time when Merida decided to look at whoever called her, she scared the living daylights out of her driver, Daryl. He then advised her to never do that again, or people would think she was intending to aim at them. At least he did not report it to Elinor; he would never do that.

She missed. Merida muttered a curse under her breath, so Hiccup wouldn't hear. Eventually, she'd not get so easily distracted from her targets. One day she was going to never miss. The arrow that missed went further into the forest, but it wasn't that important to retrieve. It reminded her of her very first arrow when she was young, before the bear, Mor'du, attacked.

"Rapunzel's not here yet?" asked Merida.

"I'm guessing her mum kept her back, and did Jack really did get a detention?"

"Aye. It's his first time too." Merida confirmed. She released another arrow and it struck the target as expected. Jack was always quiet during class last year. Even after the Burgess Sweep, he didn't do anything bad to the professors during class.

"You've got an audience," said Hiccup.

Merida was already aware of the two watching her from the distance. She looked over and saw that they were now headed towards her and Hiccup. It was John and Yang, who both had free periods.

"Enjoying the show?" asked Merida.

"It's pretty sick!" replied John. He had Quicksilver equipped on his back. Perhaps he was planning on using it soon.

"Where are your friends?" asked Yang.

"Where are _yours_?" asked Hiccup.

"Xander's in the library, researching a few things. Lily is being Lily, making potions in the dungeons." Yang took out her orb and wanted to confirm her statement.

"Could you show us where Rapunzel is?" requested Merida, packing away her bow and pulling the arrows off the tree.

"Rapunzel's the blonde one?" asked John. They were appalled with his memory.

"Rapunzel Gothel, present." There was no reaction from the Prophecy Record. "Damn. I've been practicing so many times, but I can never really see Rapunzel through this. Let's try Jack then… Jackson Overland, present."

The orb shined in numerous colours, before showing Jack in the Charms classroom, writing lines for no apparent reason. They wondered if Gothel made him do it; if so, where was she? There was another next to Jack. Judging by the sound of his voice, the person next to Jack could've been Christopher. He also had long hair that reached his shoulders, and there was only one male in Gryffindor with hair that long. It was definitely Christopher.

"Chris is pretty nice and quiet around us, but around teachers, he often argues. Last year it was always with Professor Bunnymund," said Yang. "His friend, Will, is always sticking his nose in people's businesses. I suggest you guys stay away from him."

"I know Christopher. He actually went to primary school with me," said Merida.

"Really?! I don't see you guys talking to each other." Yang said.

"We were never friends back then. I didn't even know he was a wizard. I think the same went for him, unless he was aware of the Dunbroch family and kept quiet."

"Who's Christopher again?" asked John.

"He had Charms with you last year!" yelled Yang. John still had no clue and Yang said his name on the orb, waving it into John's face so it would get etched into his memory. "Look at it! Look at it!"

Yang calmed down a little and was ready to show them how Jack got detention. It would also reveal what happened to Rapunzel.

"Jackson Overland, today, 9:30 am." They saw Gothel enter the classroom, where only Jack was visible. He was sitting next to Rapunzel, and in front were two other females they couldn't recognise, until they heard the voice.

Gothel spoke about her method of teaching Charms, which brought disgust over their faces. Christopher began arguing with Gothel, which was expected of him. He received detention and sat back on his seat.

"Do you think this is funny? Mr Overland?" asked Gothel.

Jack wasn't asking for trouble judging by the way he spoke. They could also see his eyes constantly looking back and forth at Rapunzel.

"Why are you watching, John?" asked Hiccup. "Weren't you there?"

"Yeah, but as you can see… I'm very bored right now." John replied.

Yang skipped the lesson until they saw the end of Jack's class. He stayed back with Christopher, arguing with Gothel that detention wasn't to be done now because they had to go to Transfiguration. Gothel argued back and forced them to stay, otherwise they'd receive steeper consequences.

Gothel kept Rapunzel back, which explained why she wasn't seen around a lot, but it didn't answer why she wasn't with them at this moment. Rapunzel was talking with Gothel, but Yang couldn't get any close to be able to hear their conversation. She didn't know how to view Rapunzel nor did she know Gothel's full name.

"Pascal, present?" asked Yang. The orb viewed the chameleon, camouflaging on Rapunzel's shoulder. They never noticed his presence; he was always there, but not entirely visible.

"Do you believe in the will-o'-the-wisp, Rapunzel?" Gothel asked.

"Yes," replied Rapunzel. She was trying to say something to her mother. They all sensed something stuck inside her mind, and she wanted it out.

"So how did you start believing in the wisps all of a sudden?" questioned Gothel.

"My friend…"

"Which friend?"

"Merida. She's from Slytherin and is the Princess of Dunbroch." Rapunzel said. The silhouette was fiddling with her fingers. Both of their postures were slightly bent, meaning they were keeping this confidential.

"Oh, the girl with the curly red hair."

Gothel left the room, and Rapunzel stood there, watching Jack write those lines Gothel asked them to copy many times. She too left the classroom, heading somewhere none could predict.

"Ten minutes forward," said Yang. They then had their answer. Rapunzel was in the library, studying with Anna. She must have forgotten about meeting Merida and Hiccup outside, or she was just not in the mood for it.

Yang stopped her Semblance. "This professor who was eager to hold detention left the students unsupervised. Unbelievable."

The bell rang, meaning they were watching the past for almost thirty minutes.

* * *

In the library, where mainly the second year Ravenclaws dwelled, Rapunzel browsed through the books by herself. She was hoping to find information on Corona, the kingdom near her home. Gothel always forbade Rapunzel leaving the house. She was allowed outside once, but she wasn't allowed to leave the village.

They were all kind people—the neighbours—which she constantly told herself, but something was off. The adults Rapunzel met at King's Cross and at Hogwarts were different. Everyone at her village was always noticing Rapunzel as if she was the centre of attention. In this world, nobody noticed her, which placed Rapunzel at ease.

 _Stay, Rapunzel. This house is the safest place from the dangers of the world._

Things were definitely wrong about her village. She couldn't look up anything about her hometown since she didn't even know the name. She always referred to the place as 'Home' instead.

She found a book relating to Corona, but didn't find anything interesting. She flicked through the contents while taking a seat near the Restricted Section. She wondered what hidden secrets were buried in that room. There was probably some that were going to help Rapunzel find out the truth.

The pictures of Corona appeared lively. There were happy people celebrating across the markets and she wanted to go see it herself. King Frederic and Queen Arianna seemed like lovely rulers, since nothing bad had happened to them during their years of ruling. Rapunzel should have thanked them all these years for exhibiting a marvellous view outside her house with the lanterns.

She believed they were stars at one point, until she charted them each year. They were only appearing on a specific day in June, but that was all she gathered from watching them. She soon found out they were lanterns, but she always called them stars, just because they sounded special.

There was a page about Corona's Potion, which she had heard constantly from students last year. Whenever she was asked about her home, she couldn't think of anything, so she told them she was from Corona instead. They then asked if she had been in the castle, or if the legend of the Corona's Potion was true. She had never asked, so maybe now was the best time to educate herself of this legendary potion.

The book explained that the potion was created by single teardrop from the sun, growing into a flower, but no other sources confirmed this phenomenon. It healed the Queen of Corona from an illness, so legends said that the Corona family knew of the potion's existence. They knew whether it was true or not. They also might've known the method of creating this potion if it wasn't a myth.

The Corona's Potion was important because it was known to cure everything. This included Black Sand, which was a skill mastered by Pitch Black, the Potions professor. Rapunzel felt a sudden realisation. The day she saw the first death of a boy. He was infected with Black Sand, from a person called Darkcharm. Her mother also attempted to cure the person with a mysterious potion. It could've been the Corona's Potion, but nothing was confirmed yet. There was a section explaining how Corona's Potion also stopped ageing, like a potion that granted immortality.

There could've been a connection to why her mother didn't allow for Rapunzel to head near Corona. Maybe she was afraid Rapunzel was going to reveal the location of Gothel's house. What did Gothel have to hide? Maybe she knew how to create the Corona's Potion, and that she stole the formula from Corona to stay young. It explained why her mother looked old on one occasion, then young the very next minute.

This was also risky, as it was a completely big stretch. Gothel's potion could've been anything but the Corona's Potion. It could've been that the visitors were just customers, interested in Gothel's remedy.

Rapunzel then thought about the Black Sand caused by Darkcharm. If Darkcharm was just a code name, then it could've been the one person she knew who could conjure Corruption Magic. This was a Semblance, so it was unique for everyone. What if Darkcharm was Professor Black?

* * *

John was holding onto his weapon. He was ready to show it off to his friends, Merida and Hiccup especially. Anna helped him with everything technical for the Dusk Weapon to work, and now he was going to repay the favour. This year was going to be about helping Anna design her first Dusk Weapon. The building process would have to wait until next year.

Quicksilver was made up of mainly two silver rods. They were almost as tall as John, and at the end of the rod, was a trigger. This trigger was where the retracted blades were, which only appeared when he pushed a button near the blades. At the other end of the two rods were holes to act as a barrel; it was where the Core Magic shot out. This current form was the Ranged Form, which John nicknamed the 'Shotgun Form'.

John fired the weapon as it was, and it was effective. It was like an actual double-barrelled shotgun. His friends noticed that the Core Magic did nothing to the environment. It created force that pushed the branches and scared the birds, but it was unable to shred the bark or burn the ground.

"Core Magic was not made to destroy. It affects people by draining their own Core Magic, like a leech. If a lot was fired on someone, then it will immobilise them." John explained.

"So that thing is also the broomstick you flew last year?" asked Hiccup.

John nodded. He pushed a button and the weapon began unravelling. The two rods rotated slightly and the blades extended out to where the trigger was. He sat on the weapon and flew it around the castle, proving that it was still functional.

John was one of the people who thought of many conspiracies relating to the school. The Forbidden Forest—that was in view—was always agitating him. Seeing the vast forest blanket a huge portion of the land made him feel uneasy. There was obviously something worth hiding in the forest that the professors were keeping secret. It was the best explanation why the forest was out of bounds.

His friends were impressed, except for Yang. He landed and they asked if his weapon was able to do any more tricks. He was glad they asked because his weapon had one more form, his favourite one.

John pushed another button and the broomstick started transforming again. The two rods parted with only one joint to keep it together, pivoting the two to make them extend double its length. The blades were on each end, alternating its direction, like a fan. John held it up high, and his Melee Form was called a Bō Form, which was in the form of a bladed bo. A bo was a staff that people used for martial arts. They were archaic and mainly used during the days of Japanese feudalism.

"Interesting," said Yang. "What do you call it?"

"Um, Quicksilver, of course."

"I'm talking about the weapon it's based on."

"Oh… I don't know. Some people call it a bo."

"Is that so? Then what do people call it in China?" questioned Yang. Hiccup and Merida didn't know where Yang was going with this.

"Um, I don't know." John said. They could see a drop of sweat coming down his forehead.

"That's okay. If you're unfamiliar with your roots then—"

"I know my roots," interjected John.

He began spinning the staff, causing his friends to back off. The blades were sharp and they knew better than to stand close. Merida then noticed small holes near the blades. The original holes were now sealed off because the two rods were connected. She now had an idea how this weapon was going to be used.

John fired Core Magic, and the force of the Core Magic propelled the weapon, making John have to spin the weapon faster. The speed was dangerously fast, as he threw the weapon. Its momentum was strong and it flew far away. He had some kind of remote in his hands and the weapon was responding to his command. It curved towards him and he caught it with no injuries. John stopped the spinning and Quicksilver folded back into its Shotgun Form.

"So the professors let you keep that? Isn't it odd knowing one of their students own a weapon?" asked Merida.

"Nah, it's fine. If I'm continuing Dusk Studies, then it's right that I own one."

"So it's a no?" asked Merida.

"It's a no. Just don't go telling people that I turned it into a shotgun and bo," suggested John.

The tree that Merida was firing at fell over, and the group inspected the damage. There was a clean cut, which they all knew the cause of it.

"You did not just do that," said Merida while slowly turning her head. All John saw was malice in the Slytherin's glare.


	5. Courage

"As if you cut down a tree! I was using it to practice me archery!" yelled Merida.

"Sorry! Aren't there millions of other trees for you anyway?" John was waving his hands defensively.

"It doesn't matter! You don't just walk around cutting down trees! Haven't you heard of deforestation?! Do you know how Professor Once-ler would feel?"

"The Once-ler? What's he got to do with trees?"

"Nothing… It's none of my business anyway," said Merida. She had learnt the story of the Once-ler from her mother during her lessons. It was essential to learn stories that had consequences. The only thing Merida wondered was how the Once-ler managed to teach Dusk Studies here.

"We do have a spell to fix this," said John. "There's a particular spell that can restore a chopped tree. You just have to look for it in the li—"

"Guys!" called Yang. "Look over there!"

The four looked to where she pointed. The forest was dark. The sunlight was strong, but it wasn't enough to break through the canopy. It was nighttime in the forest. The leaves would appear blue or black and the ground would appear like a void, swallowing anyone who was unlucky to wander through the depths. But looks were always deceiving because Merida had been in the Forbidden Forest many times. The moments her friends went into the forest last year didn't go so bad. The mortality rate in the forest was still zero that year.

They all saw something in the darkness. It was emitting a blue glow, calling for them to enter like a welcoming gesture. It was a tiny ball of fire, making the sound of many moaning children.

"A wisp…" stated Merida.

"What are you doing?" John watched, as Merida and Hiccup slowly approached the wisp. It didn't run, but it was completely aware of the students. Yang was also about to follow them.

She looked back to John. "C'mon, let's see where our fate lies."

"Is that a good idea, Merida? Don't you remember where it led us last year?" asked Hiccup.

"I'm not sure. We did run into a Dusk Droid that had set a trap for Jack, but the wisp did guide us from being lost. And if it weren't for its help, Jack wouldn't have had the help, unless Core Magic was coming to him either way.

"Didn't Xander take down the droid?" asked John. Yang realised that she never corrected the rumour that flowed around last year. She and Xander were so focussed on keeping the truth from John and Lily.

"John, it wasn't Xander. It was Jack who destroyed the robot."

"Say what?" asked John as he caught up to her behind Merida and Hiccup.

"The professors wanted to keep it a secret. They didn't want people to fear Jack as much as Xander."

Merida slowly reached out for the wisp, which disappeared before she touched it. That was to be expected. Again, the wisp reappeared and formed a trail with many more wisps.

"Let's go." Merida was first again. She picked up her bow and got over the fallen tree. It took several minutes convincing Yang into following them too as she was against getting into trouble.

It was silent, but the wisp trail never disappeared on them. They heard rustling nearby and they bunched up into a group, hoping the creatures would disappear.

"Yang! Where are you going?" She left them and headed to the source of the sound. It sounded familiar to Merida and Hiccup.

"Wolves?" asked Hiccup. They must've been the same ones last year when they looked for Jack.

Yang crouched down and waited. The bushes parted and a wolf crawled towards her, snarling at the young student.

"Yang, don't move," suggested John.

She turned around with annoyed eyes. "Why don't _you_ not move and do all of us a favour." She reached out her hand to the wolf and it calmed down. It licked her hand and she petted it, shocking the other three.

"How are you doing that?" asked Hiccup.

"I'm doing nothing. The wolves here are very friendly and love the attention." She then closed her eyes, reading the wolf's mind. "It remembers you two."

"It has our scent?" Merida turned and so did the two boys. There were wolves surrounding them, appearing out of their hiding spots. Merida touched one of the wolves as well, and it wasn't ferocious, unlike what they had learnt from the professors. John too petted another wolf, but Hiccup was hesitant; he didn't know why.

"That's right. They're like dogs, Merida. Apparently they were excited to see people in the forest, but you all just ran away from them." Merida was feeling guilty because she remembered that she was the one that told her friends to run.

"Animals in this forest are friendlier than people. If you were to walk into someone's house, they'd probably attack you because you're trespassing. Animals on the other hand, would either warn you or welcome you with open arms." She now stroked the wolf's back. "Professors make up strange rumours of the Forbidden Forest. Thestrals, Acromantulas, wolves, centaurs… They're all friendly."

"Acromantulas?" John raised an eyebrow.

"Giant spiders, John, giant spiders." Yang replied, only to receive a pale face from the Ravenclaw.

Merida believed Yang was right about the animals. They weren't in danger last year except from the Dusk Droid, but that was all by the Dark Weapon, who were the real enemies. Perhaps it was time to tell Hiccup about Yang and Xander's truth. After all this, she'd tell Jack and Rapunzel.

"Hiccup, you're not going to pet them?" asked Yang.

Hiccup was reluctant. He slowly reached out his hand and the young wolf watched the gentle hand come to it. It was shaking, but the wolf gracefully accepted it. Hiccup didn't know how to describe the feeling of touching the wolf. It felt like a milestone he had accomplished, and he really wanted to spend more time with the wolf.

"So can we keep them?" asked Hiccup jokingly.

"Course not. Taking them out of their homes could affect the balance in nature. Remember, we're just here for the wisps." Yang then led Merida, and her friends followed. The wisps were still there, patiently waiting.

Hiccup looked back and was disappointed. The wolves had left.

* * *

They were there again. It was the same clearing where Jack was last year to find Emma. This place was peaceful, and there were no trees in the area. The mist was light and the wind was calm. They could all feel an ominous force around them.

"The Callanish Stones," said Merida.

"That's what it's called?" Yang added. "It's the same one last year."

"But it's odd. The stones aren't broken." Merida remembered when Rapunzel collapsed one of them to take down the robot, but all the stones were still intact. None of them could even remember which one had fallen.

"What's the Callanish Stones?" asked John. He inspected one of the stones and watched, as there were strange inscriptions on them. The one he examined had horrific depictions of spiders, which were one of the things he feared.

"They are strange formations found all over Scotland." Merida answered.

"All over? So… What makes this one so special?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. It was here that we battled the Dusk Droid."

"Was this always here?" asked Hiccup. They headed in the middle of the formation and saw the large monolith. This stone was different from the rest, and there was writing on it.

"Anyone able to read it?" asked Merida. These symbols were peculiar to even a wizard.

"They look similar to the runes we use at Berk, but I don't think it's readable to any Viking. Maybe an older student studying Ancient Runes with Professor Galuu might be able to translate."

"Xander can translate it," said Yang. "He studied Ancient Runes when he was younger."

"So how do we get him to come? Or are we going to copy it?" asked Merida.

The students were thinking and Merida then began noticing something else off.

"Three, six, nine… There are twelve stones around us," said Merida.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yang waited while Merida was still waiting for an explanation to pop up in her head.

"There's meant to be thirteen. There were thirteen last year, so why is it now twelve?"

"Maybe it's a clock," suggested John.

"Or maybe the one in the middle is the thir—" The ground began shaking before Hiccup could finish. The tremor was unexpected, as the birds left their nests and the trees had dropped most of their leaves.

"What's happening?!" shouted Yang. They all remained still and the tremor died.

They heard laughter from a woman. The mist began growing thicker, until they weren't able to see through the fog anymore. The only visible things were the shadows of the stones, especially the one in the middle.

There was a growl heard and the students stood back to back, covering all their blind spots. Yang wasn't calm, so the rest had no reason to believe they were safe. John took out Quicksilver and turned it into the Bō Form. He wanted to be useful, so he stepped forward, away from the group.

John had to be perceptive and quick. Whatever was near them had already surrounded them, and they were ready to begin the ambush.

"Use your wands," ordered Merida. The three took out their wands and aimed through the smoke.

"Ventus!" shouted Yang. A gust of wind blew their hair everywhere, and John was complaining. The gust did not affect the fog at all, so Yang attempted the second time. "Ventus Tria!"

The wind was extremely powerful this time, almost knocking them on the ground, but it didn't seem to affect John at all.

John heard the creatures again and this time, they were closer. The growling stopped, meaning something bad was about to happen. The first creature pounced towards John's direction, making him spin the bo to defend himself.

It was a wolf, and its body had split into two, after getting in the way of the blades from John's weapon.

"A wolf?" asked Yang. She ran towards the wolf while it mysteriously leaked black particles. The wolf was barely alive, as Yang read its mind. "It's the same wolf from before! It remembers you, Hiccup."

"Me?" He crouched down towards the wolf and saw that it looked similar. The only difference was its fur. It used to be grey, but now it's black. Its teeth were now sharp and horrid.

"How's that the same one? It looks… demonic!" said Merida and she decided to use her arrows instead because wands appeared useless.

"Corruption Magic," said Yang. She was now paler than before and she ordered everyone to leave the area immediately.

The particles now surrounded the wolf, and its body was reattaching, bringing the students to horror. It jumped at them again, and Merida saw Yang take an arrow from Merida's quiver. She crouched when the wolf pounced towards her. She jammed the arrow into the wolf's chest, impaling its heart.

"The only way to kill them is destroying their heart. Remember, your heart is more to the centre." Yang was covered in a black liquid, presumably the blood that was now infected with Corruption Magic.

The particles escaped the wolf's wound and it turned back to normal, but now it wasn't going to survive.

"I'm sorry," said Yang. She turned to her friends. "We need to get out now!"

Another wolf jumped towards them and this time Merida was ready. She fired it into the wolf's chest and now they had their chance to escape.

"John! Take Hiccup with you on Quicksilver. Me and Merida will find a way out!" John nodded and turned Quicksilver into its Broomstick Form with his remote. He waited and got Hiccup on the broomstick before it darted in the air, away from danger. They now had to hope Merida and Yang could escape too.

"Flipendo!" shouted Yang and a wolf was knocked away from them. The two ran together through the fog and prayed they went the right direction.

They managed to escape the fog, but the creatures were still after them. They were puffed out and were hiding from the corrupted wolves. They rested and Merida was trying to figure out which way was Hogwarts.

"How did that happen to the wolves?!"

"Black Sand," said Yang. "I've heard of someone named Darkcharm who could do that."

"Darkcharm? Isn't Professor Black the only one who could do that?" Somehow, that name was familiar to Merida. She couldn't remember when, but it was definitely not an alien name to her.

"Believe me, it wasn't Black."

They heard the wisp and it was ready to guide them back. Merida was relieved, until an explosion scared the blue flame away.

"You led us into this trap! Bombarda! It's all your fault!" Merida tried to stop Yang and warned her about the fog. Yang turned around and the fog was spreading through the forest.

Merida had to calm Yang down or she could have just allowed Yang to chase the wisp. They'd find their way back either way. But trying to reason with Yang could've delayed their return, and the fog could've caught up to them.

* * *

Upon their return to the castle, they waited for the girls to come back. They both grew a bit anxious during the wait. John and Hiccup made it back unharmed and if the girls got back safely, they'd be pretty lucky for a group of second years.

Merida wasn't surprised with how much Hiccup cared for her safety, but John and Yang's care was a different story. She didn't know those two very well.

"Oh thank Thor you guys made it!"

Hiccup and John were running up to the two, relieved that they didn't have to worry any longer. Only Merida had twigs and leaves in her hair from running in the forest.

"Did anything happen to you guys?" asked John.

"No, but what I'm more worried about is what just happened back there." Merida hid her bow and quiver in a bush nearby.

"I'd really want to know as much as you do, Merida," said Yang, "but I sure as hell am not going back in that forest."

"So what do we do now?" asked John, as he packed Quicksilver on his back.

"We go to the library and scout. It's simple: We find the correct book to know what we're up against."

The next thing they knew was that they were in the library, scouting for information. Yang told them to keep this a low profile, so they wouldn't raise any attention. There was little time left until Hiccup and Yang had to leave for Potions with Gryffindor. It would seem that Jack was going to miss out his free period and the entirety of lunch.

Merida resumed her search, but no luck with the Callanish Stones' research.

"Hey, Yang!" called Merida, receiving a few glares from the students studying.

"Doesn't the 'shush rule' in a library mean anything to you?"

"Rules as trivial as that don't mean anything if you're trying to find information, which could save a life!" retorted Merida.

"I guess you're right. So did being loud find you any answers?"

Merida shook her head. "You know as well as I do that the answers are in there." She pointed to the Restricted Section.

"Yep, and that's why you're going to find your way in while me and Hiccup go to Potions."

"I thought you were against breaking the rules." Merida crossed her arms.

"Not if someone is doing it for me." Yang grinned and left the library with her books. "I know what you're thinking. It's hard to believe we're affiliated with the Dark Weapon, after helping you guys like that. If you're having trouble getting into the Restricted Section, look for Xander. He'll get you in there with no trouble."

Merida approached the Ravenclaws and Hiccup. She didn't know if she needed Xander's help. Even though she had that job to do, there was still plenty of time for Merida. Maybe the Ravenclaws had an idea with how to get in.

"Where's Rapunzel?" asked Merida.

"She's somewhere in the library, studying by herself," answered Anna. In front of her were MacGuffin and Macintosh, who were getting ready to head to Potions with Hiccup.

Near them was Ursa Michel, who was sitting next to Vanessa Cacklestare—the mean-looking Slytherin who developed a bond with Ursa after her predictions became useful. In front of Ursa was a star chart, like Rapunzel's. She saw Hiccup and asked if he wanted to know his fortune.

"Sure, okay, why not." Hiccup watched eagerly.

Ursa closed her eyes and began feeling a mix of emotions. She then looked at the star chart and connected the information.

"I don't know how to tell you this… I can sense a great deal of pain in your heart… When the land turns into soot… You won't be alone, but… you'll also feel grief, pain, and anger."

Hiccup was slowly processing this information. "Is this the future or the past?"

"The future of course," answered Ursa. Hiccup felt his heart sink. He wasn't prepared for any more pain.

"So how bad was Professor Gothel?" asked Merida from the other side of the table.

"She was horrible. If a new leader you disagreed with was elected in the Ministry of Magic, that's what it was like with Gothel." Mavis said.

"Why did she keep Rapunzel back?"

"I wouldn't be surprised since they're mother and daughter."

Hiccup left with the other Hufflepuffs. Merida had to get into the Restricted Section before that double Potions class ended. During lunch and the breaks, Mr Qwerty was on high alert to keep students away from the Restricted Section.

The bell rang.

* * *

Hiccup and the Hufflepuffs had caught up with Yang. She was busy looking through the orb, dwelling into someone's past. It could've been anyone's.

John was following them, and they had to ask why.

"I stay at an empty Potions classroom. My stuff for the Dusk Weapon are there," he replied.

They met Jack in front of the classroom with other students. He was tired and in an unpleasant state. Hiccup could already see his writing hand from across the hallway. It was shaking and clenching really hard. He didn't want to hear that Jack had to write for over three hours. It was the most despicable thing a professor could do to their student.

"You okay?" asked Hiccup.

Jack nodded, but he was obviously angry with Gothel. "I don't know if I can write in Potions…"

"It's fine. I'll talk to Flynn and he'll copy my notes with his spell for you. That's if we're doing any writing. You think you'll be able to make potions though?"

Jack nodded and the students began making their way into the classroom when Professor Black was ready. Black wasn't in a very good mood to answer the students' question of him knowing about Gothel taking over North's place.

The class was brewing the Cure for Boils for the double. It was what they practiced last year, but Black wanted to see which students had lost their skills with potion brewing over the holidays. He didn't offer any help, and the books were their only guidelines. They were now waiting for the contents in the cauldron to settle, meaning they had nothing to do but wait.

Hiccup had plenty of time to tell Jack what happened to him, Merida, John, and Yang. It was a lot of information, but he understood the part about the wisps and the Callanish Stones. What he didn't understand was how the mist and wolves occurred as soon as they got to the stones. Neither John nor Yang could answer it before.

Yang approached the two's potion station while she waited for hers to finish as well. She held the orb in her hand, showing Jack what they saw. Hiccup was glad there was solid evidence.

"Hiccup Haddock and Merida Dunbroch, forty minutes ago." The orb was bright, but Professor Black didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was busy doing his own thing, not supervising the students at all.

Yang was about to hand over the orb to Jack, but she quickly pulled it away from him. "I swear, if you break my Prophecy Record again, I'll murder you… without Xander's help."

"Oh, that. Sorry about that." Jack smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head with his left hand. He also took the orb with that hand and watched the orb, seeing his two friends with two shadows, which were John and Yang.

It all happened so fast. They were dodging the menacing wolves, avoiding each bite and retaliating mercilessly. Jack didn't know they had it in them to be so violent, especially Yang, who struck the wolf with Merida's arrow in her own hands.

When the vision showed them heading to the library, Jack handed the orb back, but he pretended to drop the glass orb, just to trick Yang. She panicked when he threw it to her and wasn't pleased with his joke. Hiccup too flinched at the sight of Jack's prank. At least he still had his sense of humour after detention.

Yang was turning red, like Merida's hair. "Are you asking for a death wish!" She was about to lunge at Jack until Hiccup stood in between them, stopping the conflict.

A period hadn't passed yet and they were nearly done with the potion. Hiccup did most of the work and noticed Jack trying to help, but something was holding him back. He forgot about his right hand, holding onto the ladle and letting go before even attempting to stir the cauldron.

"Jack, I think you should get your hand checked out," suggested Hiccup.

"I'll be fine. I just have to rely on my left hand."

"You're not left-handed, Jack. This is your last class for today, so you might as well get it checked out in case it gets worse."

Jack looked at his right hand and slowly clenched them, holding in the pain. "Okay, but until we finish the potion."

"We just did," said Hiccup. He waved his wand over the cauldron and headed to Professor Black.

While Hiccup was at the professor's desk, Jack observed the class. Some students were nearly done, but others were still waiting on the brew. This wasn't a test of knowledge. It was a test to see if students were able to manage time accordingly. Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut were far behind because they were too busy talking. They still had plenty of time though. Macintosh and Dingwall were also behind, ruining the potion judging by its colour. And Kristoff's potion was also not the right colour. Maybe Kristoff and MacGuffin would still get good marks for almost finishing too.

Yang didn't do anything, but Lily was finished making the potion for them. Anyone who had Lily as a partner for Potions was lucky. The Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors combined were an odd number, resulting in Snotlout joining the Thorston Twins, but Jack was surprised a group of three were performing worse than duos.

Hiccup returned to Jack and gave him a nod. "Black's letting us go to the hospital wing early since we finished. He told me that he wasn't even going to check if the potions were up to his standards. I wonder why."

Hiccup was glad they were on their way, as Jack was experiencing shooting pains in his hand and wrist. Hiccup also found it odd because he could remember writing a lot more at Berk, and yet he had never felt that much pain.

"Is your hand good?" asked Hiccup.

"Yeah, it's just—" Jack then winced and grabbed his hand. It was strange that the pain was coming now instead of when he was writing.

Before they got to the hospital wing, they encountered Professor Toothiana, who was on her break. They were surprised she hadn't changed the colours on her hair—if she ever did. It was always the same yellow and green streak.

"Oh! Where are you twos headed?" asked Toothiana.

"Professor Toothiana! I'm taking Jack to the hospital wing. His hand is sore, so he's getting it checked up."

"Hiccup, you can just call me Tooth." She saw how much pain Jack was in, so she allowed them to proceed, but she wanted to come with them as well. "How was it sore? Did Gothel make you write for detention?"

"You knew about that?" queried Jack.

"Bunny told me. And for the record, he'd like it better if you called him Bunny, like how I like it when I'm called Tooth."

"Why's that?" asked Hiccup.

"We're just tired of the whole formal thing."

 _You can just call me North._

"I can see why," said Jack. They were all legends that had lived on for centuries.

* * *

In the hospital wing, the new school nurse was checking up on Jack's hand. He used to work at St Mungo's Hospital, until Maudie left. He was actually reluctant to join because he disliked working with children, but he didn't want to let the Headmaster down.

"So you say you wrote continuously for over three hours?" asked the nurse.

"That's right. Mr…"

"James Pierce. Just call me Mr Pierce—or just Pierce. Whatever floats your boat," said the nurse. He was young, in his mid-twenties. His skin was tanned and was as tall as Bunnymund. He seemed more professional than Maudie because of the lab coat he wore.

"Wasn't Christopher in detention with you?" asked Tooth.

"Where's he?" asked Pierce.

"Still in Professor Black's classroom."

"But he didn't look like he was in pain." Hiccup interjected.

"Pitch let you out before the first period ended?" asked Tooth.

Hiccup nodded. They were then wondering how it was the case that only Jack was in pain. It could've been because Jack never wrote this much in his entire life, but Tooth had something to prove it was false.

"My records told me that in primary school, Christopher was always into sports. But he never wrote a lot too. His hand may be sore, but not as bad as Jacks."

"Then that brings us to two conclusions. Jack, do you know if your family suffers from arthritis?"

"No, they didn't, Pierce."

"Didn't?" Pierce then remembered why Jack's name sounded so familiar when he heard it. "You're the survivor from Burgess?"

Jack nodded. Pierce then had a worried expression.

"It's fine. I'm used to a lot of people asking about it," said Jack.

"It's not that. It's that we've narrowed down your of soreness to one conclusion. I just have two questions to ask. Did you use your own quill during detention?"

Jack shook his head. "Professor Gothel gave us one each. What's your second question?"

"This one isn't directed at you." He turned to Tooth. "Does your school allow corporal punishment?"


	6. Creatures of Corruption

The tone dropped and the people in the hospital wing did nothing, staring at each other for they did not know how to handle the situation. The hints were all there, lingering over their heads. Nobody was determined to go against Gothel without solid evidence. Even then, nobody was brave enough to confront her.

"We need to tell Tsar," demanded Tooth.

"And hope another student gets hurt? I do not think so." Pierce interjected. He was pacing around the room anxiously.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"We have to face her and tell her that whatever she believes to be the way of teaching… is wrong."

"What if we're taking everything the wrong way? We need to find proof before we blatantly accuse her!"

"I'm all out of suggestions, Tooth, but if you want to go find proof, then be my guest."

Tooth stood up abruptly and stormed out of the hospital wing, leaving the three by themselves. Pierce was right about one thing. If Tooth wanted to find evidence, she had to do it quickly before there was another victim, unless it was only Jack she wanted to hurt. Even then, she had to be quick before Jack had Charms with Gothel again.

"So what do we do?" asked Hiccup.

"I have no idea what she intends, but for now, the two of you should lay low. If something else happens, be observant."

"You're telling us we should just allow her to do whatever she wants?!" questioned Jack.

"I'm telling you two to not do anything stupid. In serious issues like these, it's always hard to change the rules. It's not good for the older students doing OWLs and NEWTs to constantly get new teachers. They will fail."

"I think finding the quill is the best option," said Hiccup. "I just hope Professor Toothiana succeeds."

"Don't we all?" asked Pierce.

* * *

"Bunny!" called Tooth. She had found him with Mansnoozie at the entrance hall.

"Tooth? What's the matter?" She grabbed him by the arm and quickly dragged him away.

Mansnoozie was confused. Usually Tooth would've been patient for Bunnymund to leave with her. But this time she didn't have the luxury of waiting, so it could've been urgent. He followed them through the corridors and they reached the stairs near the dungeons.

"Tooth, you can let go of me now. What's wrong?"

"It's Gothel—or whatever her real name is. She hurt Jack during detention!"

Bunnymund looked at Mansnoozie, who was just as confused as he was. He looked back to Tooth with concern.

"How?" he asked in a more serious tone.

"She made him write lines for almost three hours… but, I think the quill she gave him was cursed."

"And that would be against the rules at Hogwarts," said Bunnymund. "What would she gain from that anyway?"

"She's crazy," commented Tooth. She then realised something. "Gothel is Rapunzel's mum… and Jack and Rapunzel are friends. You don't think…"

"That's ridiculous, Tooth. If that were the case, Merida, Hiccup, or Xander should've gotten the same treatment."

"They haven't had Charms yet, Bunny. We can't just wait until the next student gets hurt."

"Maybe this has got to do with the Dark Weapon. That's why Tsar hired her in the first place. She might've hurt Jack because of that whole Burgess Sweep."

Tooth couldn't believe that, but he had a point. Tsar said he invited Gothel to join them with good intentions and for a good cause. She hoped he knew what he was thinking, and not ignoring what was best for the children.

"I need to get into North's old office. Gothel's quill might be in there."

"Then we'll be able to strip it down to see if it got cursed?"

"Right," replied Tooth, "but how do we get in there without getting caught?"

Mansnoozie raised his hand up with impish glee. He then pointed at himself.

"Looks like Sandy's up for it, aren't ya?" asked Bunnymund.

"Right! Sandy, you can disintegrate into Dreamsand and enter the office without having to break down the door. You know what to find, right?"

Mansnoozie nodded and created a feather out of Dreamsand. He floated away to the office, while the other two waited. Maybe they had to do something if Mansnoozie couldn't find any evidence.

"How about we ask Yang Xavier a favour? She can use the orb, can't she?"

Tooth shook her head. "No, she can't use her Semblance if she doesn't know Gothel's full name."

"Full name? Is Gothel her first or last name?"

"I'm not sure, and I don't think that matters now." Tooth then turned back to Bunnymund, seeing his emerald eyes glinting by the light. "Oh, I should follow Gothel and let you know if she's coming back. I'll use my Semblance."

Tooth ran off without thinking. Bunnymund was now by himself, wondering what he should do to be helpful. Going into the Charms classroom was the best choice, in case the quill was left there. The only problem was his lack of knowledge of Gothel's current location. She could be in that very classroom the moment he enters.

* * *

Merida watched Rapunzel return to the Ravenclaws. She was definitely hiding something with that paranoid expression. She sat next to Merida and they were talking to Anna and Mavis.

"So I was kept back in class with Jack," said Rapunzel, "but it wasn't detention or anything."

"I know. Yang showed me her Prophecy Record. I saw Jack writing lines and heard your voice in the room."

"You trust Yang?" asked Rapunzel.

"I do, actually. The same goes for John, but I'm not sure about Xander yet."

"I trust him." Merida wasn't surprised with Rapunzel. She was always so trusting and loyal to whoever was helpful. "He helped Jack from Dagur, which most people forgot. They cover it all up with the fact that he knew Core Magic and predicted him being dangerous. It's not fair. Everyone has a story, and it's their choice to share it or not. Xander also saved Jack from death last Christmas. Did anyone even thank him for saving Jack?"

"Did _you_?" questioned Merida.

"I did, actually. I didn't tell many people about it. His face when I told him…" Rapunzel wanted to make a point, but it wasn't going to deliver if she phased out like that. She continued to anyway. The thought of Xander's face when she thanked him last year was a rare memory. There was an innocence she had never seen before.

Merida had to say something while Rapunzel paused. "You trust Xander. Good for you. I'm grateful he helped Jack, but I'm still going to be cautious of him." She then leaned in to whisper into Rapunzel's ear. She didn't care if Anna and Mavis felt left out.

"Listen… Yang told me on the train that she and Xander were part of the Dark Weapon. They don't want me telling anyone except for you, Hiccup, and Jack."

Merida leaned back and Rapunzel was dumbfounded. Rapunzel had a selfish thought in her head. She now had the chance to ask Xander and Yang if they knew something about Gothel.

Rapunzel didn't want to try convincing Merida to trust Xander. She had concluded that he wasn't a bad person when she was with Gothel, during Jack's detention. She felt vulnerable being so close to her mother. Many people would make up rumours of her, and hate Rapunzel for being related to Gothel. She wanted to feel safe, and she was able to name thousands of people able to provide that sense of security.

"But I'll be sure to thank him the next time I see him," added Merida. She then decided to change the topic. "Why _did_ your mother keep you back?"

Rapunzel was being cautious with her words. Merida thought she was going to lie, but it was because Anna and Mavis never learnt the truth.

"Anna, Mavis, you should know the truth about Jack when we were in our first year."

The two girls leaned in and Rapunzel was ready. "Xander never helped Jack defeat the Dusk Droid in the forest. It was Jack who learnt how to unlock it."

"Unlock?! So he can cast it a maximum capacity?" questioned Anna.

"No, he only casted it as strong as Xander's. I think the age of the caster _did_ apply to the wizard," said Rapunzel. "Well, Mother kept me back because she found out I went into the Forbidden Forest. That's all, but I did feel worse keeping the truth from her."

"That's what mothers do. My mother wouldn't be pleased to hear about it too," said Merida.

"Mine too. Although what I'm more interested in is how Jack managed to unlock Core Magic at a convenient time." Anna said.

"I think it was meant to come conveniently," said Rapunzel. She began reading over her notes and making sure she borrowed the correct book for her 'research'. Corona's Cauldron wasn't borrowed by many people; the last date was only two years ago.

"Merida," called Anna.

"What?" Merida was staring at the Princess because she stared back with perplexity. Something had been bothering Anna for a while now.

"Where are your books?"

"Is it a crime to not use books in the library?" asked Merida. She folded her arms and estimated how much time she had left. There was probably thirty minutes until Hiccup and Jack's Potions class ended. Thirty minutes before she had to break into the Restricted Section. Merida was taking her time in the library, mostly because she was waiting for Xander.

She then saw Xander through the gap between two bookshelves. She stood up and Rapunzel tried seeing where she was looking, but nobody saw Xander.

"Merida… where—"

"I'll be back, Rapunzel. Just don't wait for me and I'll explain to you guys." She left with haste and walked around many shelves to get to Xander.

He turned around and was not expecting her presence. "What brings you here, Merida?"

"I need your help getting into the Restricted Section."

Xander stood up straight and Merida saw no end in his eyes. They were bottomless as if it absorbed the light out of everything.

"And why would I help you?"

"Yang said so," replied Merida. She hoped that was all it took. He thought about it and began nodding.

"All right, but you do not need me for this. Princesses have the permission to enter. Your status basically makes that rule redundant." He left and Merida now had nothing that could get in her way.

"Here goes," thought Merida. She took a deep breath and gracefully made her way to Mr Qwerty, who was at his desk near the Restricted Section.

"Oh, good afternoon, Ms Dunbroch. What can I do for you?" He stroked his long white beard.

Merida kept her head straight and was finally glad that she listened to all the lessons from her mother. She now had to speak in a clear and audible tone to be convincing.

"Mr Qwerty, I wish to go into the Restricted Section," said Merida. It was at this moment when she felt powerful, and was glad she was a princess. She was able to use this title of hers to help people and solve mysteries.

Qwerty did nothing but blink rapidly. He was obviously trying to not laugh at her; he didn't want to embarrass the poor child.

Merida felt nothing but the entire world collapsing around her. She wanted to sink into the floor and disappear from the forever-crumbling world. Her charisma might've been useless.

"Sorry, Ms Dunbroch, but if you want something in there… you need a signed note."

"Princesses can't enter?" She was thinking about ripping Xander to shreds for putting her in this position.

"I'm afraid not. You came here as a student, and we will not make a rule that gives less opportunities to people who aren't in your league—even then you cannot enter. Your teacher specifies what you require, and only I enter to retrieve it. Only in some cases do I allow a student to enter on their own, but that requires a note directly from the Headmaster."

Merida couldn't argue with that. She too believed in everyone having justice and a fair chance at this school. It was the reason she liked being here.

"Mr Qwerty? Can you help me locate 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1'?" asked Xander.

"Aren't you in your second year?" asked Qwerty.

"I forgot how to cast the Levitation Charm… and I do not want to look like a fool in class. What if that new professor tests me and gives me detention? What if—"

"Calm down, boy. I'll help if that's what you need."

The slight desperation plastered around Xander's face vanished the moment Qwerty's eyes left the second year. The librarian left and went ahead of Xander, providing a small window for the boy. He took out his wand and waved it at the Restricted Section, unlocking the door.

"His satisfaction of doing his job and rejecting your request will make him blind to your rebellion. Go in and look for whatever you seek as I have just prepared everything while you were talking to him." Xander gave Merida a short nod before leaving.

* * *

The Restricted Section wasn't as big as the rest of the library, but one could still get lost. The area was dimly lit and Merida was going to have a hard time looking for what she needed. She then realised that she had the faintest of what book she had to look for.

Going through the books, Merida found strange content that would've been useful in the past. She even found the book from North, which contained the Snow Charm. The past was in the past, and there was nothing they could do. If Merida had the ability to go back in time, she would've asked Xander to help find the Snow Charm, instead of stealing his book. Even though Flynn returned it stealthily, Xander definitely knew it was taken, because Flynn had never found it ever since.

"Think, Merida, think!" They were at the Callanish Stones and there were wisps, so anything relating to that would help. Maybe Qwerty would've been able to find what she was looking for in less than a minute, but Merida wouldn't be able to pull off a forgery note.

"I guess the wisps hate indoors," thought Merida. Some of these books were chained from the binder, meaning only Qwerty was able to unlink them.

A soft hiss alerted Merida. The suspicious Slytherin darted her head and saw a snake on the ground, watching her intently. It slithered past her feet and led the way deeper into the array of bookshelves.

She went ahead and saw the corner of the room. A gap was seen, which led to a smaller room. Her curiosity was taking over her thoughts. The snake caught up with her and made its way into that opening to the room.

The tiny room had a pedestal, with a black book on top. She read the cover and saw that it had the letter Z in transfiguration.

"The same symbol Jack talked about…" It was also the same one Professor Once-ler drew to depict the Dark Weapon's symbol. Xander borrowed a book with this symbol too. Perhaps this was the same one.

Merida opened it and read the contents page.

Year X: A Summary (Page 2) The Dark Weapon (Page 5) The Light Weapon (Page 6) The Three Stalkers (Page 7) Thirteen Witches (Page 10) Creatures of Corruption (Page 12) Battle at Dragon Island (Page 14)

The list went on, but Merida was glad she found that Chapter 6 had something related to what she had encountered.

The snake hissed louder and vanished, leaving nothing behind but a letter. Merida picked it up.

 _If you're reading this, it means I stopped the transfiguration, meaning Qwerty and I are heading back to the front. I'd hurry if you're not done._

At the back of the letter was a page with notes about a spell. It was the one Xander used to transfigure things into a snake. He definitely wasn't planning on teaching her the spell as she noticed the rip on the edge of the page, so Xander must have been in a rush and ripped the page from his book to write the letter for her.

Merida quickly looked through Chapter 6 and found that it was about dark creatures infected by a curse. There was also a picture of the Callanish Stones on the other side. She pulled the book towards her, but it made a sharp clang from the chains. This book was going nowhere unless she knew the spell. She had no choice. She was hearing Qwerty and Xander nearby. She had to tear out the page.

Merida opened the door and quickly ran out. Only Xander was at the counter, waiting for Qwerty to return. He saw Merida and quickly locked the entrance before Qwerty returned.

Merida's friends were still at the table, studying like normal students, unlike Merida. She sat next to Rapunzel again and this time, Xander followed her, curious of the girl's findings.

"Merida, what—" she held her hand up to show Anna she was trying to read. The page was completely about what she needed to know.

There were horrific images of creatures that she couldn't imagine. The wolves were now child's play. These creatures were all influenced by the effects of Black Sand, which infected the host and could corrupt their thoughts, changing the victim. The description matched what she saw at the forest, but she needed more information.

"So I was right. You were looking for the book on Year X."

"How did you know, Xander? And I think this is yours." Merida returned the letter that had the page from his book.

"Keep it. I remember the spell now," said Xander.

"Now? Odd… because it doesn't seem like you to forget spells."

"Who says I forget spells?"

"You used that same spell for me during Transfigurations, so it wasn't a new spell. You had to go back to your older pages to review it because you forgot how to do it. And that's when you ran out of time and had to write a letter for the spell. The nearest piece of paper to you was the page you were reading."

Xander was impressed. He opened his spellbook which he was carrying and mended the page back to its original location.

"How long have you been practising?" asked Merida.

"Excuse me?" he replied.

"You can cast spells without incantations. You're my age too. When did you start learning magic?"

"Seven." Xander took a seat at the table. "But was rather mediocre until I turned ten, when I wanted to be strong enough to protect myself." He gave them the book and they flicked through the pages.

"Seven? How can a seven-year-old write like this?" asked Rapunzel.

"I did not write most of these pages. Someone I knew started it. I am just continuing the pages." He turned towards Merida. "To answer your previous question, Merida. I knew you were searching for that book because you mentioned Yang. If she wanted you in the Restricted Section, then there was only one book that was relevant for her."

"So you _are_ related to the Dark Weapon?" accused Anna.

"Of course, who is not? Your family is under fire after the Burgess Sweep. We hear Dusk was involved in the process, and was there not a sharp drop in Green Dusk Crystals from Arendelle Corp's supply?"

"Green Dusk? Are you saying the plants that made the poison were from Arendelle Corp?" asked Merida. Anna was cornered and she didn't know what to say to defend her family.

"That is correct. Somehow, those events happened at the same time. So tell me, Princess, how was your family not involved?" Anna didn't say anything. Whatever she wanted to say to retaliate was going to be countered by Xander. "Your silence tells me that… your family did not tell you a thing. Let me guess… your sister probably knows."

Anna still remained silent. Everything he said was true, but they were hurtful.

"I am not accusing you… Anna. I am just making a point. Sorry for making you feel this way."

"Oh no, I'm sorry for accusing you in the first place."

"Och, can you not do that, Xander?" complained Merida. "This is why so many people made up so many bad things about you. You always have to get on people's nerves just to prove a point."

Merida should've planned a better way to take the book instead of tearing out a page. There was probably more about Corruption, even a cure. But why did that book have to be concealed in the Restricted Section? What secrets of that event were being hidden from the world?

Luckily Merida flipped the page. There was more information, but from another chapter of that book. It spoke about a witch that fought in the battle of Year X. She was powerful and with the Dark Weapon, unfortunately. Her magic was too powerful that there was nothing to do but seal the witch away. The only method was in Scotland, where magic was available since they had only caught the witch near the end of the war. And at the end of the war, one Magic Pinnacle remained.

It took exactly thirteen witches to seal the evil witch for good. They had created a structure called the Callanish Stones to lock the witch's soul away. If for whatever reason the stones were broken, the seal would break, and her Semblance of Black Sand would spread. It wasn't the witch's body that was sealed. It was her Horcrux, which contained a remnant of her soul.

Merida was fortunate to know what the Magic Pinnacles were to understand the information. If she hadn't payed attention in Charms, she'd be clueless. Without Magic Pinnacles, magic wouldn't have existed. The Dark Weapon failed with locating the final one.

She was also aware of Horcruxes, which were objects that would be able to grant someone an extra life, but at the cost of their humanity. Horcruxes were illegal, and in order to make one, one had to kill another.

* * *

Bunnymund searched the Charms classroom to see if Gothel was there. It was mainly Tooth's job to stalk Gothel, but he had to be prepared in case she was in this classroom. While he searched this area, Mansnoozie searched the office, and Tooth followed the mysterious professor. If for whatever reason Gothel was returning to the office or the classroom, Tooth would use her Semblance and send a little hummingbird to warn them.

There was no quill in the room. It was clean, like how all classrooms had to be. There were no signs of strange magic being used either.

* * *

Tooth followed Gothel, who was on a break like most teachers at this time. She was headed to Hogsmeade, but didn't go anywhere suspicious. The woman made her way to the Three Broomsticks Inn, which wasn't unusual for professors for hang during their breaks if they weren't busy. This place was a bar, and even students who were old enough were allowed to drink. Tooth, Bunnymund, Mansnoozie, and North had been to that place many times too. It was going to be odd this year without North.

"What are you up to?" thought Tooth. Professors never went to the Three Broomsticks unless they were meeting up with others.

She opened the old wooden door when she heard the atmosphere of the building change. It was the sound of singing that caught her attention, and it was Gothel who was doing the singing. She was flirting with the men in there, and the people were impressed with her voice and physique. There was no point in following Gothel anymore. Tooth hoped the others found some promising evidence.

* * *

Mansnoozie had disintegrated using his Semblance, as instructed by Bunnymund to enter the locked door of North's old office. Even if Mansnoozie knew the spell to unlock the door, there was a possibility that Gothel would've been able to know a spell was used. She would've been able to trace it back to Mansnoozie, which would've been bad news. Semblances were different from spells.

He searched thoroughly through the desk. All of North's belongings were gone, only replaced with Gothel's stuff. Everything was already set up. The books were neatly arranged and there were notes taken before she began teaching. She must've been trying to teach, which was good news for the students.

What was odd was the lack of memories on the desk. Normally, a person would've had a memento to motivate them, to remind them why they wanted the job. There were no pictures of Rapunzel anywhere. Mansnoozie knew love when he saw it. He had spent centuries with Tooth, Bunnymund, North, and others, caring for children.

There was a cracking sound in the fireplace. A log had just split into two by the raging blaze. Mansnoozie hadn't realised the fireplace was lit. He got closer and saw something peculiar. There was a black object, twisted and crumbling with the cinders. It was definitely a feather, but there were no owls being used. It then occurred to him that it could've been the quill Jack used. They were too late to find proof.

There was a woman's laughter heard in the room, and Mansnoozie was wary. Tooth would've sent her hummingbird to warn him, unless something happened to her. Black particles were surrounding the air, and swirling around the room. It was Black Sand, but there was no way Black was nearby as he was teaching. The Black Sand nearly struck Mansnoozie, but he reacted quickly and converted it back to Dreamsand.

Mansnoozie wasn't going to fight. He would've lost. The world wasn't going to be better without him. If all the children lost their good dreams, they'd be plagued with fear and despair. He escaped the room using his Semblance. It was better for everyone to know that there was a Black Sand user within the castle, unless it was Black all along. But Lunar had placed his trust in Black, giving him a second chance after Year X.

The bell rang.

* * *

"Not everyone can create Black Sand or Dreamsand. It is not a spell but a Semblance, which I am sure all of you knew." Xander said. "Core Magic defines a person, and it also determines your Semblance. Rarely do people have the same Semblance, but when that is the case, it is usually because they are related."

"So the witch in this book is related to Professor Black?" asked Mavis.

"Not exactly. This is a more complicated matter. If this witch had the same Semblance as Black, it would have explained a lot about her personality. This witch was the epitome of darkness, the person Black used to be. Corruption requires negative thoughts for it to work, and the opposite goes for Purification."

"But you just said most of the time people share Semblances was because they are related." Anna said.

"Most of the time," repeated Xander. "Speaking of which… Why are you reading this? Why did Yang request this?"

Merida wasn't sure if she should tell Xander. Yang said to keep this confidential, but did it apply to Xander? She might as well tell them all.


	7. The Mist

The bells were harmonising with a sinister echo. The students weren't going to expect what was coming next. Their first break was about to become Hogwarts' first nightmare in nearly a hundred years. Years of convincing young wizards that their fears were irrational were going to be all for naught.

Merida was following her friends. Xander, Anna, Rapunzel, and Mavis had all listened intently to Merida's story of the Callanish Stones. The wisps had led them to a death trap, and it had appeared that their presence had triggered some sort of curse. They hoped it wasn't related to the witch's curse many years ago. An archaic power was not only unrecognisable, but also unstoppable to the newcomers who never had faced battle.

"Stop! Please, it's no use." Merida wanted Xander to stop in his tracks. He wasn't going to listen to her after what he heard. Even for the professors, this was a big problem to resolve.

"You should listen to Merida!" yelled Rapunzel, but there was nothing that convinced the Slytherin boy.

"If all of you are reluctant to come with me, then I suggest you all should remain behind," ordered Xander. His pacing sped up and he drew his wand. They were outside the castle, heading even closer to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Mavis stopped and remained indoors. Going in direct sunlight was not ideal for her kind.

"If you're going then you need to know their weakness," said Merida.

Xander stopped in the middle of the Hogwarts grounds. He turned to her and already knew the answer to that. Merida was basically useless to him. She and the Ravenclaws were nothing but burdens.

"Aim close to the heart. I know."

"How?" questioned Merida.

"Experience." He eliminated the sudden display of hesitation and continued immediately with a question. "Who else was with you?"

"Hiccup, Yang, and John. If it weren't for John's Dusk Weapon, he and Hiccup could've died."

"It does not add up. What would Yang possibly gain by keeping this from me?" They were nearly at the edge, but Anna grabbed Xander's hood, warning him of the dangers ahead of them.

Merida stopped as well and looked around the trees. There was smog spreading inside. It was the mist, ready to engulf any living thing with the witch's curse. They heard the powerful force within the forest. The cries and struggles were also heard, as the four students slowly backed away from the trees.

"Run." Anna ordered. "Run!"

They all turned around and ignored the disasters occurring nearby. During their way back, they spotted other students outside. They were all students who had finished their lesson of Herbology with Moonhaven. Luckily they were headed inside the castle anyway, clueless of the dark force. If there were other students who headed out for their break, warning them was going to be impossible without an explanation.

"Hey, wait," called Merida. They all were relieved the mist only covered the forest, but what happened after wasn't going to be good news.

Merida had a clear view of the forest. She saw a black creature emerge from the canopies of the cursed woods. It circled around, until more and more appeared and joined it, flying around as if they were mimicking a serenade of death.

The creatures then flew towards the four. It was a murder of crows, riddled with Corruption. Their demonic sounds escaped their beaks before striking, alerting other crows. The first crow dived down to the four students who had clumped together.

Merida had discussed to them what to do, and they were ready. She was the one who had ordered for them to bunch up in a group. It was a good tactic to appear larger than the crows. If all that failed, they had to jump and spread apart, lowering the chance of being hit. Merida had experienced this when catching fish by the river.

The four jumped out of the way and the crow was stuck on the ground, pulling out its beak from the soil to join up with its comrades.

"We should keep running," suggested Anna.

"Ditto," said Xander. "Go ahead of me and I will cover you all."

The girls nodded and ran ahead, ignoring the screeches of the crow and the blaring wind caused by Xander's wand.

The other crows rained down on the students. They were all lucky to have dodged most of them; the crows' beak and talons had grazed some of them. The ones that potentially got too close were warded away with Xander's magic. The last resort was the Freezing Charm. Xander used it when Merida tripped. A blue wave made contact with all the crows, preventing any movement.

"The spell is going to wear off. And there are more crows coming."

* * *

Tooth ran back to the castle after the bells rang. She had just sent two hummingbirds to alert Bunnymund and Mansnoozie that Gothel was returning. She had found nothing, so hoped Mansnoozie or Bunnymund had found dirt on Gothel when they met up.

The three met at the Entrance Hall. None of them had anything, except for Mansnoozie.

"Find anything?" asked Bunnymund while puffing for air. "Oh man, it'll be nice to turn into my Animagus."

Mansnoozie was creating images with the sand, showing a feather and a fireplace, but he was doing it with haste. They couldn't decipher what he was communicating.

"Slow down," said Tooth.

Mansnoozie created a feather and enlarged it. He then crumbled it after creating fire, meaning the flames had destroyed the feather.

"You found the quill?! But it was destroyed by fire?"

Mansnoozie was nodding, and then he created the figure of Pitch. The image of Pitch's shadow had casted magic towards another figure. That extra figure was presumably Mansnoozie.

"Pitch was there? In North's office?"

Mansnoozie nodded to Tooth, but then he shook his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Bunnymund.

"I don't know, but we have to pursue Gothel."

"Without evidence? The quill was destroyed."

"I don't care anymore. We now know she inflicted pain on Jack on purpose." Tooth created wings with her Semblance and flew outside.

"We should follow her. What do you think, Sandy?" asked Bunnymund

Mansnoozie nodded in reply.

Tooth flew over the castle and saw a group of birds flying above the Hogwarts grounds. She had sent many hummingbirds to keep tabs on Gothel. One of the hummingbirds returned.

"Baby Tooth! Have you found Gothel?"

Baby Tooth nodded and guided Tooth to the Viaduct Courtyard. She flew above the rectangular structure. It was surrounded by stone colonnades. In the middle were two pavements that formed a plus shape, separating four patches of grass.

Standing in the middle of the pavement was a student, begging for forgiveness. The girl was on the floor, trying to get up, but there was Gothel, standing in front of her and knocking her over with a spell.

"Let her go!" ordered Tooth. She landed and her wings disappeared.

Gothel turned to her with a dissatisfied expression. She released the girl, but casted a curse to prevent the third year from running.

"This girl… has infringed one of the most basic uniform rule at Hogwarts."

Tooth looked at the crying girl, scanning her from head to toe, but there was nothing wrong with her attire. Mansnoozie and Bunnymund caught up to them, standing behind Tooth.

"There's nothing wrong with her. I tell you that Kathy Hart has demonstrated exemplary behaviour and work ethics. This Ravenclaw has spent four years at Hogwarts with no casualties, and I can bet that she'll be the Head Girl without a doubt in the future."

"How is this student able to lead her students if her skirt is well above the knee?" questioned Gothel.

It was barely above the knees, enough to be tolerated, even in front of Lunar.

"So that's why you tossed her on the ground." Tooth clenched her fists. "You wanted to show her that having a longer skirt would've protected her scraped knees."

"Precisely," said Gothel.

"Corporal punishment here at Hogwarts is against the rules, and haven't you considered that she grew during the summer? Gothel, release the girl at once!"

Gothel rolled her eyes and waved her wand at Kathy. The girl quickly ran off to her friends. There were many students around who witnessed the event. None were brave enough to stop Gothel, not even the Gryffindors. The main event now was the confrontation between two professors, both with different perceptions of rules.

"You're coming with me, Gothel. You have a lot to explain… especially about Jack."

"Jackson Overland? Why, he was defying rules in my classroom and encouraging bad behaviour."

"You harmed a student, even though rules involving common sense applied to professors. Never in my life have I seen a 'first-time' teacher harm a student. Not even at Muggle schools these days do it," said Bunny.

"Perhaps. But I think the rules should be different. The Headmaster hired me because he hoped I would make the school a better place. Together, with other professors, the world will become peaceful, and students have to learn in a strict and structured environment. I can see now that the world will become a brighter place without you three. When do you suppose he'll sack you like Nicholas?"

Tooth was about to strike the witch, but Mansnoozie stopped her.

He created a fishing rod and a fish, conveying the word 'bait' to her. He also created a depiction of capturing Gothel if she resisted, giving the thumbs up after.

They heard screaming, as students began running indoors. The students watching the commotion were also noticing something the professors didn't, because they also ran into the castle. Tooth looked up and saw a murder of crows, flying all over the place and attacking students. Some even crashed into the windows. Inside the castle was going to be as dangerous as outside.

"What's this?!" asked Tooth. Crows headed towards them, but instantly froze when Mansnoozie casted a spell on them.

"Tooth!" called Bunny. Tooth turned and saw Gothel walking off, not even panicking from the situation.

"Stop right there, Gothel!"

Gothel paused, not even wanting to stop the crows. Bunnymund conjured two swords for Tooth. It reminded them of Year X, when they battled the Dusk Droids. Tooth was highly skilled with swords, just like North. There were times when she misplaced the swords, so Bunnymund made sure he was able to transfigure some from nothing when she needed them most.

"You two stop the crows. I've got this one handled." Bunnymund and Mansnoozie made their way up the sky with a floating platform, created by Mansnoozie. The platform was made up of Dreamsand, like a floating cloud.

Tooth charged to Gothel, pointing her sword at the woman. She had conjured her hummingbird wings, and had used them to grant her an immense amount of speed for her dash.

Gothel vanished, reappearing from where Tooth originally stood. Students under the shade were still watching the entire event. There weren't enough crows to hurt all students at the same time. They had heard that the crows were attacking the other side of the castle.

Tooth was in trouble. Fighting Gothel was going to be challenging, because she knew how to Apparate. It was a skill that only a few people like Tsar Lunar learnt. North had his portal Semblance; Bunnymund had his tunnel Semblance; Mansnoozie had his Dreamsand Semblance, turning into sand particles and flying as fast as the wind; and Tooth had her wings to travel across the world, collecting teeth—though she hadn't done it in a long time.

If Tooth's assumptions were correct, it would've meant Gothel had been around for a long time. She knew Gothel lived with Rapunzel in Germany, and there was no magic there. So how was Gothel able to learn Apparition? Nothing had informed Tooth that Gothel lived in the UK before having Rapunzel. She must've been older than she looked.

Gothel casted a spell at Tooth, but she deflected it with her wand. She tossed the swords on the ground and decided to make this a duel with magic instead. The deflected spell was red, and it landed on the cloisters instead. Luckily, the rubble didn't land anywhere near the students.

Tooth looked up and saw the flashing of Mansnoozie's Dreamsand. That Semblance combined with Bunnymund's boomerangs was enough to stop the berserk crows in that area. Tooth then saw Gothel muttering, and then creating a strange yellow spell, casting it at Tooth. Tooth had the sky as an advantage to escape Gothel's mysterious spell. There was a familiar screeching sound, but she wasn't going to wait to see what it could do to her. Tooth bolted in the air, avoiding Gothel's spell.

* * *

Merida and her friends got inside the castle where Mavis was. She had witnessed everything that happened to her friends. Some had suffered a few more minor scratches from the crows, but none were alarming. They had taken the back entrance that had a wooden door. Going through the main entrances had no doors for them to close. Even if they did, they were too big and they needed permission to put the castle into lockdown.

People in the corridors were wondering where all the tapping noises were coming from. The girls had shut the door and Xander was quickly heading away, until they saw Flynn. He was making his way outside, wanting to inspect the noise.

"What's going on out there?" asked Flynn. The torn robes and scratches on the girls were a sign of bad news, but Flynn thought he was able to handle it outside. He was with both the Stabbington Brothers. Bryan and Bryce encouraged him to proceed.

"Wait don't!" Merida grabbed onto Flynn but it was already too late. As soon as he opened the door, the crows began flooding through the gap, forcing it to open even more.

Flynn, Bryan, Bryce, and Merida weren't enough to keep the door closed. The Ravenclaws and Xander helped push the door and it began closing slowly. The crows that had already entered were making it difficult for them, pecking and scratching their faces. Flynn was suffering the most, as he used his body to block the gap and reduce the amount of crows entering.

"Go get help!" yelled Xander. The girls were the ones closest to the hinges, so their forces against the door made a minimal difference. The Ravenclaws left the door and casted spells onto the crows.

"Where do I go?" asked Merida. The windows shattered and the crows had found a new place to enter.

"Go find a professor! Use the parchment with the Serpensortia Spell I gave you when you need to." He held his wand and fired another spell to freeze all the crows temporarily. This was Merida and the Ravenclaws' opportunity to escape.

Merida ran past the crows and diverged from her friends. She stopped at an unbroken window, observing the view. The onslaught wasn't going to end soon. There was still an abundance of crows still coming out of the forest. They circled the sky.

Merida saw Professor Mansnoozie and Bunnymund, standing on a cloud made up of golden sand, and taking out the crows one by one. She wasn't going back out there. She needed a professor that was already inside. Merida continued searching when a crow headed towards her window, smashing the glass in front of her.

Students panicked and hid in classrooms. Some were already attacked by the crows. Merida was soon cornered at both ends of the corridor. She kept her wand drawn and needed a diversion so she'd be able to escape. Merida took out the parchment Xander gave her at the library and analysed its contents. She was unsure if it was going to work on her first try, but maybe is notes would help.

"Serpensortia!" yelled Merida, and her wand shone a bright light near the crow victims. A black snake was conjured from nothingness, as it slithered in front of Merida, watching the appetising birds.

Merida still had a few defensive spells on her mind. She had practiced a few during her times at home in London. The area Daryl took her to for archery had a forest nearby. She had sometimes ditched archery and tried sharpening a few spells she wanted to learn. This was probably how Xander learnt them.

That one snake wasn't going to be able to feast on all the crows, but Merida needed it to. She also had to concentrate otherwise the snake would've turned against her if it sensed a hint of hesitance.

"Engorgio!" Merida's wand created a blue spell this time. The snake was the target and it began swelling, becoming a large serpent that was able to take on many crows at once. It was fortunate combining spells was possible.

It gave off a loud hiss and most of the crows avoided it. The snake struck some of the crows with its large fangs, as Merida helped the people who got attacked. She pointed to them the direction to the nearest hospital wing, or if they wanted to hide in a classroom.

Merida ran through the corridors without having to worry about the crows. The giant snake took care of them, until the spells were beginning to wear off. Merida found a spiral staircase to the Divinations classroom. Only Thorburn, the Divinations professor, was going to be there, unless she was on a break like most professors.

She climbed the staircase and watched behind as the snake faded away. It was sad to watch, but Merida had to remember that it wasn't literally alive. It was born from a spell, which kept it existing until its time was up. Crows began flying near Merida, only to be outmatched by her charms.

In the classroom, there were students also hiding under desks. Braver students stayed at the entrance, knocking out any crows that got near. The crimson curtains were blocking the windows, stopping the crows from detecting a way in.

"That's impossible!" yelled a student. "Crows can't break through the windows without killing themselves!"

Another student intervened. "The crows are killing themselves to let others in!"

The students began speculating how this became possible. Merida was finally witnessing the first rumours of this event being born. They said someone had casted a spell to empower these crows, causing them to become rogue. There was the possibility of the Gemino Curse, which multiplied the targets. But even that spell had its own constraints, and it was unlikely for it to work on living entities.

Professor Thorburn was watching by peeking through the curtains. It was odd seeing the crow on her shoulder. It was the same one Merida saw at the post office, and it was also the one that delivered Merida's letter to her mum.

"You're not doing anything to help?!" complained Merida. "My friends are down there trying to survive and you're just standing here doing nothing!"

"I'm afraid even my efforts aren't enough to stop _this_ , young lass." Thorburn said. "It's the same as Year X. This witch that destroyed villages is using the same tricks. I'm afraid nothing can stop this until whoever did this ends it."

"So what do I do? What happens to my friends? What do I tell them when I get back?"

Professor Thorburn turned to Merida. The crow on her shoulder wasn't infected with Corruption Magic. Thorburn analysed the girl, seeing how capable she was. It was like she was using her magic to peer into Merida's soul, seeing her worthiness on a battlefield.

"You go to them, and you do whatever it takes to survive. Yes, that's my answer: Survive."

Merida quickly went down the stairs, hoping her friends were all right.

* * *

The Viaduct Courtyard wasn't as dangerous as inside because the crows came from the other side of the castle, where Bunnymund and Mansnoozie were. Tooth was busy trying to pacify Gothel, but the witch wouldn't stand down. She had to be taken down after injuring several students. It was unjust to think that it was a proper way to punish students by hurting them.

Tooth lost one of her swords from Gothel's Disarming Charm. She had picked them up from the ground when she needed them to kill the crows. Even though Tooth had the sky as an advantage, Gothel was accurate with her spells, and sometimes landed a few on Tooth. Even the few crows that flew around were making it difficult for Tooth to dodge the spells.

"Expelliarmus!" A scarlet spell escaped out of Gothel's wand, moving in the air to the predicted area Tooth was going to be. Tooth was flying at full speed, trying to confuse the professor, but the spell managed to hit Tooth.

The second sword fell from Tooth's grip and now she had her wand. The crows came near Tooth and she knew she didn't have any spell in mind to take them on. Tooth quickly dived down to make the crows directly above her. During situations like these, Tooth relied on her wings, as they were as sharp as her swords, if not, even sharper. Tooth's wings shredded the crows.

More crows were beginning to fly nearby, causing the students to flee inside this time. This activity had led Mansnoozie and Bunnymund to return after trying to contain the crows.

"Tooth!" yelled Bunnymund. She looked down and Bunnymund threw her swords up. She successfully caught both by the hilt and continued the battle with Gothel.

The spells were deflected all over the area and Bunnymund and Mansnoozie needed to be careful. They took out as many crows and saw a powerful spell land on Gothel and Tooth.

Tooth was immobilised with the rest. She tried to get up and saw Tsar Lunar heading towards them.

"This fight is over!" stated Lunar. The Headmaster, Pitch, and Moonhaven brought the professors inside, taking out the rest of the crows nearby. Mansnoozie and Bunnymund were ordered to follow.

The bell rang. Fifteen minutes had passed.

* * *

Merida's friends were still at the door, holding it to stop the crows from breaking through. Rapunzel had remained behind to hold off the crows coming from the windows.

"Why haven't you shut the door yet?" asked Merida.

"It won't close!" yelled Flynn. She watched as the handle was breaking. The wood of the door was coarse and old. The screws were falling off and the stonewall that was in line with the door was also chipping away slowly. The main problems were the hinges.

"Where is the help?" asked Xander as he was still pushing against the door with the other three.

"The Divinations professor said nothing can be done about it. We have to wait until whoever caused this stops!" Merida then helped push against the door. There must have been thousands of crows to make it this difficult. It was either that, or these crows had amplified strength, which explained how they easily broke through the windows.

"Hinge is coming off!" yelled the Ravenclaw, Bryce.

The screw fell out and the students were being pushed back with tremendous force. The door was nothing but a wooden shield to them now. Crows flooded in around them and they were all soon to be dead, until the bell rang.

The same eerie ring had spread around the school by the bell. The crows escaped the castle, fleeing back to the Forbidden Forest that was now covered in a grey mist.

The door fell flat on the floor, giving a loud crashing sound. The group of second years were all panting and resting on the floor, noticing the drops of blood everywhere.

"Is everyone all right?" asked Rapunzel. They checked themselves for any major wounds, but they all received moderate cuts around the face and clothes.

"Flynn?" asked Bryan, the Slytherin Stabbington. They all watched as Flynn stood still, wearing a petrified and traumatised expression. He had sustained the most injuries, having deep scratches all over his body. There was blood dripping all over.

"Flynn!" yelled Merida and Rapunzel, as the boy fell limp onto the ground. Bryan was fast enough to catch the Slytherin. They were sure he was going to survive; he was still breathing. Flynn was the one blocking the gap of the door in the first place, and it was an understatement to say he was lucky to have survived.

"Attention all! Those who require medical attention, please report to the hospital wing." It was an announcement sent by Moonhaven. It would've appeared that the entire school had suffered badly from the crows too.

"Come on. If we are not quick, there might not be any spots for Flynnigan."

Merida rolled her eyes in response to the name Xander called Flynn. They all followed Bryan, who had no trouble carrying Flynn's body. Everyone wanted to know if he was going to make it. The closer they got to the hospital wing, the more they had realised that not many people had wounds as bad as Flynn's. This made the students run, in case they were beginning to lose the Slytherin.

Pierce was shocked to see Flynn. He even told the students that nobody had suffered as bad as Flynn. He was definitely going to survive, and they had reached the hospital wing in time for his wounds to not scar.

Dittany had been applied to Flynn's wounds. These herbs were powerful and rare, which rapidly sped the rate of healing to the taker. The students watched his wounds closing up and fading slowly as if he was never hurt.

Merida found Jack and Hiccup at the hospital wing too. They all had to share something to each other. Jack's story was easy to explain, but Merida's was a completely long and terrible start to her week.


	8. Repairing Loose Ends

"Ugh! This is horrible!" yelled Yang. The medicine administered by Lily was way out of Yang's liking. With a shuddered expression, staring into the dark-green drink, Yang slowly placed it on the table near Lily's workplace. She received scratches on her cheek and arms from the crows; she had fought them off in the corridors when the attack had occurred. John and Lily were safe in the dungeons the entire time.

The same classroom they used from last year was still not occupied, but it was obvious somebody had cleaned up the area. When the four had time, they would push all the desks and chairs to the side. This way, duels were easier and each of them had a personal workplace.

"I added Flobberworm mucus to make it a little thicker. I thought that would've made you more active and awake, but something's wrong, yes?"

"What is wrong with you?!" exclaimed Yang who was making her way to the bin filled with useless equipment and ingredients.

"It's because it's a blacky-green colour that you think it's disgusting." Lily said. She looked to the laughing boy next to her. "You need some, yes?"

John's face flushed pale and he immediately shook his head, waving his arms in front. "No, no, no… I don't have any wounds… See?"

"You have cuts on your fingers," she pointed.

"That's from Quicksilver," he defended. "You see… The weapon still needs a few tweaks and adjustments. That involves fiddling with the blades."

At the same moment, when Yang recovered from emptying her stomach, Xander walked into the classroom, carefully stepping on top of the stone floor. He had scratches on his face and his black hair was tousled. Lily's eyes lit up, but she was afraid he'd reject her concoction.

"Wow, you're worse than Yang," said John.

"Thank you for your trivial analysis, Jonathan." Xander was displeased with Yang. She never told him what she had planned. She told him she was thinking of one, but little did he know that she already had a master plan figured out.

"Xander? Um… Would you like to try this?" Lily held a cup of the same liquid Yang ingested. She wanted to break the silence, and this was the only thing she could come up with.

Xander viewed the contents carefully. His left eyebrow raised, unsure if the drink was going to continue bubbling like that. "What is it?"

Lily cleared her throat. "It's not a potion. I made it as an herbal drink, or as medicine. It contains a few ingredients used in potions. It's meant to speed up the wounds to heal, but I'm still waiting to see if it works."

"Waiting?" Xander then realised why Yang was looking woozy, and the room had a slight hint of reek coming from the bin. "Why not just make a potion?"

"I haven't unpacked. All my things are still in the common room, and I brought over more ingredients," she replied more calm than she had been around him.

Xander accepted the drink, and John and Yang were watching.

Lily was hoping it was successful. With only Yang's opinion, she would've given up on making medicines. Besides being a potioneer, another aspiration she had was becoming an herbalist at Corona.

Xander consumed the drink. Like Yang, he was already dissatisfied with the taste at the first sip.

"Sorry… Is it bad?" asked Lily.

"Yes." Xander continued drinking, which was a good sign for Lily. The drink was bitter and warm, like tea. But this 'tea' had a high viscosity like honey. The brew only went down the throat with each gulp, and Xander was able to feel it churning in his stomach.

"Dude, spit it out if it's bad," suggested John. Xander continued to ignore the boy's suggestion. Yang was almost bringing herself back to the bin, after watching Xander chug down the medicine like it was nothing.

From Lily's observations, the minor cuts were slowly fading. It was going to take several hours to see if it worked on the larger scratches. Lily was smiling with delight, but she remembered whom she was interacting with. She turned away and pretended to be busy.

"So you knew this was going to happen, Yang? You could have told me about this and I would have done whatever it took to stop people from getting hurt."

"This is my plan for this year, so I decide who knows and who doesn't," said Yang. "Don't worry. I have this all figured out. Merida was the one who was able to get the wisps to appear, so there's something special about her that I cannot see."

"And the reason you cannot tell any of us is?"

"The more people that know, the higher the chance the plan will fail. It's different compared to last year because we had the same chance of failing if we told Lily and John. It was just their lives that could've been in danger if we failed."

"Such loyalty you have, Yang," said Xander sarcastically.

Yang laughed it off. Xander knew the plan had something to do with finding a hidden tomb, containing the soul of a powerful witch. The question was where the tomb was located in Hogwarts and how Yang planned to get in.

"Attention all. Those who have any knowledge of this past event, please report to the Great Hall immediately. That's all students who were involved in the recent incident."

* * *

A valley of death was in front of the Headmaster. There was nothing but the carcasses of dead birds, littering the Hogwarts ground and plaguing the land with Black Sand. Some of the crows were injured, and their wounds were leaking out the black particles.

Lunar was now heading back to the Great Hall, where most of the Hogwarts staff were congregating. Moonhaven's voice then appeared once again.

"Attention all. Those who have any knowledge of this past event, please report to the Great Hall immediately. That's all students who were involved in the recent incident."

Lunar headed back inside. There were already students who were waiting around the door to the Great Hall. They weren't involved; he knew that. They were there to see who _was_. The Headmaster didn't bother making them scatter. The secrets and stories would've reached them either way.

* * *

Merida and her friends were all free of injuries thanks to Pierce. Only Flynn required rest after suffering the worst gashes. They heard the announcement from Moonhaven, so it was time to move. Merida got Hiccup, Anna, Rapunzel, and Mavis with her, as they were all somehow tied to that event.

They soon met up with Yang, John, Lily, and Xander. Only three of them were involved, but Lily wanted to wait for them outside. Merida thought Lily was more comfortable away from a lot of people.

Pierce also came with them. Being one of the staffs at Hogwarts, he had every right to hear what was going on, despite not being a professor.

They averted the stares of the students gathered near the Great Hall. With a short pause, Pierce opened the door for the students, only letting the ones who were following him. Jack and Lily stayed behind.

The door closed with a loud creak, echoing in the empty hall. Near the High Table were most of the professors, watching the students with curiosity and seriousness. On the left was Tooth, sitting on a chair with no energy. On the other side was Gothel, staring at Tooth with distaste.

"Is this everyone?" asked Lunar. The Headmaster paced around the hall, feeling restless and stressed. One would become stir crazy after managing the safety of an entire school. The silence made him continue without them answering. "How is it that second year students were the only ones involved?"

Merida looked at her friends. Nobody wanted to have the spotlight. Even Yang gave Merida the look that told her to talk on their behalf. "A wisp led us into the Forbidden Forest, Professor. We found the Callanish Stones again."

All the professors looked at the red-haired girl. She wasn't regretting it, but she also wished someone else had answered for her.

"Last year, you, Mr Haddock, Ms Gothel, and Mr Overland followed the wisps and placed yourselves in danger!" Professor Black looked around to see if the teachers were listening. "You were lucky Mr Yates saved you all from harm."

Lunar held up his hand at Black. He then looked back at Merida. "Go on."

"It was only Yang, John, Hiccup, and I. We were playing near the edge, which isn't against the rules. We saw a blue light and followed the wisp into the forest."

"Now _that's_ against the rules," said Lunar.

"I know, but no matter what situation I'm in—no matter how old I am—I will follow the wisps so they'll lead me to my fate."

"You believe in the will-o'-the-wisp?" asked Lunar.

"Aye," replied Merida, moving away from her formal tone.

"Interesting." Professor Lunar watched as Gothel stood up, walking towards the students.

"How marvellous you all ended up alive. If it were up to me, you all would've wished you died with the crows because your punishments would've been far worse than death. You caused the harm of other students, and now you will pay." She wasn't directing this to all the students. She wanted to make Rapunzel feel safe, but it didn't work.

It was the first time Yang was in Gothel's presence, so what happened next wasn't what any of them expected. The second year female stood next to Merida, ready to take her turn in speaking.

"Don't make me laugh. If I were you, I would sit down and shut up before talking like I own the place. Watch the professors and learn a thing or two—better yet, watch the students and learn how to—"

The Headmaster held up his hand once again to prevent anything else pouring from Yang's mouth. "Professor Black has told me about your attitude last year, Ms Xavier. We are here to work together to resolve the mist problem. We don't have the time to punish anyone!" He turned to his left and waited for someone. "Professor Thorburn, you dealt with this situation in Year X. What do you suppose we do?"

The old professor slowly made her way to Lunar with the same crow on her shoulder. "I'm afraid this is far worse than I had anticipated. I'm over one hundred years old and I still remember that moment like a story. The witch that was sealed in a temple near Hogwarts was locked away for a reason. The good news is that she isn't as powerful as before she was sealed, but if we wait too long, these attacks will get worse, and the crows will look like a warm-up."

"I'm sorry, but… sealed?" asked Hiccup.

"Why don't you explain to your friend, Ms Dunbroch? That's right, I know what you did in the library. No book gets taken without us knowing." Professor Black said.

Mr Qwerty came and took out a book. It was the book about Year X, opened to the page that was torn off by Merida. "Is it too much to ask if you still have the page?"

Merida took the page out of her pocket. It wasn't like she needed it anymore. The page flew back to the book, and mended itself back into the tear.

"This book contains vital information about the Dark Weapon, who are long gone. What happened last year was an accident and there's nothing to worry about. But if there was by any chance a new organisation of people like the Dark Weapon, imagine the endgame if this book fell into their hands."

Mr Qwerty then ignited the book, destroying everything without hesitation. For a moment, he made eye contact with Professor Lunar, making a short nod and knowing he did the right thing.

"Is there another way to get to the Standing Stones?" asked Moonhaven.

"I'm afraid not, Tara. Only the wisps can lead a person to sacred areas like those, and the person has to be chosen by the wisps." Thorburn replied. "But please, children, do not try going back there. The witch will turn you like the crows."

Merida was feeling a strange superstition creeping on her skin. The paranoia that warned her about Professor Black, Thorburn, and now Gothel were starting to sound true to her. It was like they wanted to keep Merida and her friends away from the Callanish Stones, which was actually a tomb.

Professor Black waved his wand and a crow hovered in front of him. He was going to use it as an example to the students.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is a crow. Sure it might look normal, but if you look closely, you'll see that its eyes are oddly yellow. That's the hint that the crow is infected with Corruption, or more commonly known as Black Sand. This is a Semblance that both the witch and I possess, and unfortunately, when one is infected, they are left with two choices. They could either reject the corruption and die, or they could let it take over their body, destroying their humanity."

The crow was conscious. Struggling to get out of Black's spell. But it was no use.

"Avada Kedavra!" A green spell shot out of Pitch's wand, consuming the crow. It was dead.

Rapunzel received horrible memories of witnessing her first death, the day Gothel tried to save that boy and girl who visited. That girl wanted to use that same spell on her own friend, who was apparently sick by Darkcharm. Rapunzel didn't know if she herself was able to do something like that. She didn't want to kill off her friend if they had a chance to live on.

Black particles escaped the crow, dispersing around the air until Black controlled it. "Corruption Magic is the epitome of evil. I could infect anyone. Even the brightest light could be snuffed out. It would take a Corona's Potion to cure the infection, but even that's a myth. Stay out of this matter if you don't want to end up like the crow."

The Black Sand then rippled and grew in size. They could see faces appear in the sand and hear voices. "Corruption is fueled by fear. Already this one is turning into a Fearling, creatures that seek a host. If panic were to be brought to the entire school, imagine how powerful an army would become. Now… unlike a Boggart, it's not alive. There are dark forces that build up into wizards who don't execute their magic. But there are lucky ones like myself that can control this dark force. The majority haven't been so lucky and were completely taken over by the force. Sound familiar?"

"An Obscurus," answered Anna.

"When one is afraid, their Core Magic turns against them, and into a monster," said Black. He was scaring the children on purpose, so they wouldn't investigate into the mist again.

"What you have to do is not mention anything about the witch." Lunar warned. "People out there will make up rumours about you all, but they won't know anything about the evil witch. It would cause panic if they did. So far the mist is acting as a barrier, to prevent anyone from entering or leaving. It would seem that the entire school is trapped too until we lift the curse."

* * *

"All seventh period classes have been pushed forward by one hour. That means there are classes on 4:15 instead of the usual 3:15. Fifth years, don't forget that your Astronomy classes begin at 7:00 PM."

The students left the Great Hall after Moonhaven's announcement. Jack and Lily were the only ones who stayed behind. The other students who enjoyed the gossip were probably bored, or were busy brewing some new rumours.

"So what happened?" asked Jack.

"That mist outside is a curse, and we're trapped until it gets lifted," replied Anna. She and John were getting ready to go to Dusk Studies.

"So where are we going now?" asked Lily.

"I guess we'll be going our separate paths then. Bye, Merida," Yang left with Xander and Lily. John then parted with Anna to Ravenclaw Tower, and Mavis followed to get some sleep.

It was now Merida, Hiccup, Rapunzel, and Jack, seeing Flynn's status and probably spending the rest of the time at the hospital wing. Anna was presumably going to meet up with them. How else was Flynn going to get his notes for Dusk Studies?

Pierce wasn't at the hospital wing. He was still at the Great Hall, discussing more important stuff that had to be hidden from the students. But there was no point in hiding things if Yang was around.

Flynn was awake, resting on the comfy white bed. All the deep scratches and injuries were gone thanks to the Dittany.

"Well aren't you four the least I expected to come," said Flynn with a sheepish grin.

"So how do you feel?" asked Jack.

"Honestly, I haven't felt this way since I fell from the castle walls at Corona," admitted Flynn.

"Really? What were you doing on the castle walls?"

"Getting back to the orphanage."

"Your orphanage is outside of Corona?"

"You haven't been to Corona at all, have you, Rapunzel?"

"No." Thanks to Rapunzel's mother, she never got to explore her hometown once. There was also something odd about Professor Black earlier when he explained Black Sand. He had mentioned the Corona's Potion, and it reminded her of the thoughts that ran in her head in the library.

"Let me explain then. In Corona, there are two walls. One is the outer wall that separates Corona to the forest that surrounds it. The other wall separates the villages and markets from the castle, so nothing bad happens to the King or Queen."

"You got past the inner wall?" asked Merida.

"Sure. I was trying to steal from a jeweller who worked there. I mean hey, if it wasn't glued to the floor then I guess they wouldn't miss it, right? Anyway, I had a way to get past the guards and the wall, but something went wrong and I fell off. I would've been dead if it weren't for the soft patch of shrubbery. The only injuries I got were the sharp leaves and the prickly thorns."

"Your life seems very dangerous. How many times have you done this sort of thing?" asked Hiccup.

"As many as I could. Sometimes life has too many restrictions when living with the rest of the world. Even though you haven't got the things many people had, they still expect you to conform and live to their expectations. So every now and then I like to bend the rules."

"I think I understand what you're trying to say," said Merida.

"Trust me, you don't. You're a princess and you have no clue what it's like to be me. Detach yourself from your family tree and spend ten years away from magic and wealth. That's when you'll get it."

* * *

"What were you thinking?!" Tooth had nothing better to say to Tsar Lunar. They were now discussing the problem with Gothel's method of teaching. "She was attacking a student, so I had no choice!"

"From what we've heard, Gothel released Kathy and you attacked first. I know you wanted to keep the children safe, but you seem to have forgotten that the real danger was above you."

"That's not fair! Tooth thought Gothel was trying to escape and had Sandy and I deal with those bloody crows instead." Bunnymund argued.

"If I recall correctly, you were the one that gave Toothiana those blades so she could cut me!" argued Gothel.

"Enough!" ordered Lunar. "It's obvious that not everyone can agree with Gothel being here, but she's a valuable asset to make the world a better place."

"Yeah, valuable enough to replace North," added Bunnymund.

"North had his reasons." Black said.

"Reasons which you, Tsar, and Ingrid know but cannot tell us. You know, sometimes we wish you were more trustworthy, and maybe then you'll see why we're all better as a team!" Bunnymund walked off with Tooth and Mansnoozie. Sandy hadn't said a word, but the anger in his eyes was enough to state whose side he was on.

"They're right," said the man who arrived with the second years.

"I'm sorry but… who are you?" asked Gothel.

"My name's Pierce, and I can vouch for those three that Gothel indeed harmed a student." He wasn't afraid of the glare Gothel gave him afterwards.

"I can see that many people are disturbed with your methods, Gothel. I'm going to give you a warning. If I hear another incident, then you'll be sacked." Lunar warned.

"In case you've forgotten, but there's nowhere I can go with the mist surrounding the castle," stated Gothel.

"Then I guess you should help lift it before we exile you into nothingness."

"You wouldn't dare." Gothel was cornered, but she doubted the Headmaster's empty threat.

"You have no idea what he's capable of," said Ingrid.

* * *

"Was it really okay for Pitch to have scared them like that?" asked Tooth as she seated herself on the chairs in Mansnoozie's office. It was warm and soothing. She and Bunnymund always looked for opportunities to spend time there.

"If it gets their heads out of trouble," replied Bunnymund. "They know too much about Year X than other students."

Tooth then giggle, which made Bunnymund and Mansnoozie wonder.

"Something funny?" he asked.

Tooth shook her head. "Bunny, remember when we first taught here?"

"Centuries ago, yeah. Why?"

"The students were completely clueless then. As generations have passed, they know more and more, nearly to the point where they don't even need a professor."

"You're still talking about the second years, right?" Bunnymund asked.

"Even Anna knew what an Obscurus was. I thought that even though the Magic Pinnacles all around the world have prevented Core Magic from working, people have forgotten that an Obscurus existed."

"They still do though, only if the wizard repressed their Core Magic within Europe. That's what makes Lunar's job with finding these students important. It's also why North doesn't lose his mind trying to find every single wizard around the globe."

* * *

They arrived to Classroom 2, Anna and John. Located above the ground floor was the new Dusk Studies classroom, suitable for everything 'Dusk' related. There was a blackboard like all classrooms, and there were desks that could fit four students each. Behind the array of desks was a large section of emptiness. This classroom was around three times larger than the Charms classroom. The ceiling was impossible to reach, even with all the students of the class standing on top of each other.

"Wow," said Anna. "I'm really glad they gave a classroom for us."

"How'd they make it?" asked John. It was a logical question if magic didn't exist, so nobody answered.

Professor Once-ler was the only one in the classroom. He was not expecting a single student to attend this class. A lot of former first year students declined studying this subject, but the Headmaster allowed the class to continue so long as over ten students attended. There were eleven. If two left, the class would be over, unless Lunar became lenient.

After a while, Astrid and a few others entered the class. There were about six students now, so Professor Once-ler began. They already learnt the properties of Dusk, now they were beginning to discuss weapons.

Anna observed who was here today. There were six students, the lowest she had ever been with. The class had all the houses together, instead of two at a time. It was a good indication of how many dropped the subject. If there were roughly forty students in her year level, then around thirty had no interest with the subject, which was bad for the class if this continued. There was Astrid, John, and a few more recognisable faces.

According to the class roster, Miriam Funar was the only Hufflepuff. Around five were from Gryffindor. Three were from Slytherin, and two were coming from Ravenclaw including Anna.

John had delivered Anna a few schematics and conceptual possibilities of her weapon. John's weapon was fully operational, requiring only a few tweaks in the future. The focus was Anna's weapon, which would begin getting constructed next year—or if they were lucky, by the end of this year. Testing it out would take many weeks, and spending other weeks to adjust those errors would make this entire project even longer. The only advantage Anna had was having a nearly unlimited supply of Dusk Crystals, which they both knew how to convert into Dusk Powder.

The first idea John had was a rapier, a slender sword used for fencing. He figured it was a good representation of Anna, conveying her elegance and royalty. The hilt was planned to contain six compartments that stored the six colours of Dusk. The hilt acted as a revolver, and would change to whatever Anna desired to use. Anna shot down the idea, thinking it was unoriginal.

The second idea was promising though. It was mainly a royal sceptre, containing two sides that functioned differently. At the tip of the sceptre was a black gem that resembled a closed flower. It was capable of firing her Core Magic like Xander, but it wasn't as strong. This was the Ranged Form. The Melee Form of this weapon retracted the entire sceptre towards the handle, feeding the rod through the other side of the hilt, which would turn into a blade. The black gem would open up, and then reveal to be a six-petal flower, each petal being a specially cut Dusk Crystal. The magic from the petal would channel through the blade, coating it with a specific element of the Dusk Spectrum. This was the idea Anna wanted to go with.

"There are mainly two types of Dusk Weapons for those who do not know. The first relies on the wielder to only use the Dusk Crystals or Powder from their weapon. It purely uses the magic within the ammo for results. The only downside to this method is that if it runs out of ammo, replenishing would become difficult. How was this type of weapon useful? Who did it benefit?"

A girl's hand went up. "The Dark Weapon from Year X. They had no Core Magic, so they had no choice but to rely on the Dusk." Her name was Holly, a Slytherin.

"Correct, Ms Sancast."

Anna copied John's notes down. Her weapon relied on the ammo from the petals, but it sounded somehow different to what Professor Once-ler explained just then. Maybe it was her Semblance that made it different, which not many people knew because of their lack of interest.

"The second kind is what many wizards these days use. Core Magic is a powerful essence existing in only wizards. A few years ago, casting it was impossible, until Xander Yates created a new spell. This type of weapon relies on both Core Magic and Dusk. The ammunition is mainly Dusk Powder, so the process of converting the Core Magic into Dusk Magic is more beneficial. When something is grounded finely, the surface area is increased. Therefore, the reaction is quick. The downside to this is it will exhaust a wizard who uses it excessively. To this day, wizards who chose to practice the art of creating a Dusk Weapon usually create it in two forms: The Melee Form and the Ranged Form. But we'll cover that at a later time."

Still, that description wasn't matching up with what Anna desired with her weapon. She was beginning to doubt herself and this ambitious goal she wanted. She then placed her trust in John, because he made the first Dusk Weapon containing three forms.

"Before I end class early, I need to mention the third method to use Dusk. This method is extremely rare… So rare because it's actually a Semblance," the Once-ler added.

Anna then knew that this was about her, since she knew she possessed this kind of Semblance.

"This Semblance allows the user to extract the magic out of the crystal or powder. They fire the pure essence from Dusk. This is the most beneficial method, but only a few wizards on earth know how to do this. One of them is in this very room."

The class looked at Anna, and the Once-ler invited her to stand up for a demonstration.

Anna took a deep breath and pushed herself away from her desk. She got up in front of the class, as they were all interested to see it for the first time. The professor took out a red pea-sized diamond and placed it on the table.

"Whenever you're ready, extract as many as you can. Don't worry. This classroom is safe to create fire. Just don't make them touch the wall or ceiling."

Anna nodded. It was easier done than said this time. She focussed and the red gem was glowing even brighter, releasing a stream of fire above Anna's hand. She waved it to gather the blaze above the students, expanding the fire into a large inferno. There was still a lot of juice in that gem, so she kept going, amazing the students with the dazzling view of embracing flames. Tailfire was the happiest in the room. Anna could sense it. The entire space above the students was used up, and the gem finally ran out of magic, fading to a colourless crystal.

The Once-ler held it up to the students. "This tiny speck of Red Dusk Crystal was able to produce that many flames for Anna. For a Dark Weapon soldier, it would've been worth one bullet. To a normal wizard such as myself, it would've lasted roughly fifty shots give or take. For Anna, it would've lasted many days—weeks if she was conservative."

Anna was thrilled for her weapon. The Dusk Crystals for her weapon were going to be much larger than the one in the professor's hand.


	9. The Alpha Group

Upon returning to the dungeons, Yang slumped onto the chair near her side of the room. She observed while Lily brewed more potions and Xander cast a few spells in front of him. His face was now clear of scratches.

She thought about what Pitch Black had said about Corruption. She was watching Xander's reaction when it happened, but the boy didn't seem to be triggered by it. If it were her, she'd force Professor Black to not mention it in front of her, and she'd probably try blocking out the words. A shiver went down her spine, reminding her of how much a traumatic experience could affect someone.

It would take a Corona's Potion to cure the infection.

Yang had visited the forest around Corona. That was where it happened. Xander was cheerful during that time, and she regretted hating him then. Yang would never know if he had forgiven her or if he was to deceive her soon. Xander wasn't with her at Corona, but he lost his best friend and his brother during that event. The comment made by Pitch about the cure for Black Sand was an indication of where Yang's friends went. But Yang never learnt Thema or Scott's last name, so their fates were still inconclusive.

We think the Dark Weapon have a supplier, and somehow that supplier gained a method of replicating that potion.

Those were Tooth's words. Of course, Yang pried into the conversation last year between the professors. There was now another mystery solved. Thema and Scott never left the forest when they were attacked. They were probably finding the cure for Corruption.

"Xander? Did you listen to what they said?" asked Yang. The boy stopped his yellow spell.

"Every word. I appreciate you not talking about it ever since it happened."

"Is now a good time?"

"Now is definitely the worst time." He then looked at Lily and startled her. "Lily, you told Yang last time that the Corona's Potion cures anything, and the royal family knows what happened to the last one."

"I… I did. What do you want to know now?"

"It was a legend, but is there a possibility of any factors of the story being true? Like the potion?"

"I've been trying to find out, but I don't know. The only part that I've been looking for was the flower called the Golden Rampion."

"I see. But it can cure anything?"

Lily nodded. "Except for death."

* * *

The first week concluded for everyone. The entire school was trying to put up with the fact that there were monsters roaming around the forest. The fog had surrounded not only the woods but also around the Hogwarts walls. Everyone who lived in Hogsmeade was outside of the curse. New Hogsmeade was also unaffected, and the construction workers were wondering what had become of the school. Those who had left into the fog either ended up back to where they started or never returned. Nobody was sure if anyone outside the fog was able to enter the school. It should be by now that the Ministry figured out the school was trapped after various reports from Merida's father's army.

There wasn't an attack since the crows, but the suspense was keeping everyone on edge. Classes were tense, especially Herbology, where all the students were able to see the mist surrounding the school. If the next attack was to occur, those students and Moonhaven were going to be the first targets. This was why all the classes ended early because Moonhaven was afraid of an unexpected attack.

Merida was busy grinding down the words left on the board by Professor Mansnoozie. He left the classroom like always to have a short chat with Bunnymund, who was on his break that day with Tooth.

"Hey, Merida, you finished?" asked Hiccup. They learnt about the yetis today. These beings were believed to be dangerous creatures inhabiting the North Pole, but that's what the Muggles believed in. Long ago, North had confirmed to the wizarding world that the yetis in his workshop were the ones building all the toys for Christmas. It was a common misconception to believe the elves were responsible for that job.

Another false rumour was that the yetis were afraid of fire and heat. Jack did mention to them that he met the yetis during the summer break. He remembered the absurd ceremony held for his arrival to the North Pole. The yetis were spinning flaming batons. So much for being afraid of fire.

"Last paragraph," said Merida.

"Do you think something's bound to happen?"

Merida gingerly released her grip on the quill with a deep sigh. "This is the only thing that happens. Everyone wants to know if there'll be another attack. Can't we just talk to each other like normal people?"

"Sorry, I just wanted to say something. I mean… we're lucky that we aren't on Berk because if dragons get infected, we'll be in real trouble."

"I guess. What's the worst here?" asked Merida.

"Well… Fishlegs did mention forest trolls living in the Forbidden Forest."

"What about hippogriffs? They can fly like the crows, but they're bigger. I can also imagine John's face when we get attacked by Acromantulas."

"That would be a nightmare for everyone with arachnophobia. The creatures are horrible even without a curse. Luckily it doesn't spread, right?"

"Yeah. It would be an apocalypse if the infected could transfer the Corruption."

"So you do like talking about this…" commented Hiccup.

"Fine. It just reminds me of what happened last week. It feels like our fault that this happened. It can't be a coincidence."

"Merida. You know we didn't do any of it. You trust the wisps, right? Since I trust you, I have no choice but to believe in them too."

"Even then, it feels like we were destined to do something at the Callanish Stones, but we ran away from it. This is our consequence for not stopping it."

"What were we supposed to do? We were attacked by a vicious pack of wolves infected by the curse. From what I see, it's like we weren't meant to be there."

"I don't know. The professors hinted that we were the only ones that got to the Callanish Stones, so it sounds like that's what we're meant to do."

"They warned us to not," said Hiccup.

"Rules don't matter when we're all in desperate times, Hiccup."

* * *

Defence Against the Dark Arts was finished for the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins. MacGuffin was standing at the border of the mist. He wasn't the only one. There were many other students who had nothing better to do. Macintosh and Dingwall were there too, exploring the Forbidden Forest without permission. They had a choice, but MacGuffin was placed in a position where he wasn't meant to refuse.

Coward. Just like a regular Hufflepuff.

He watched as Dagur convinced the other two to follow him. Why was MacGuffin a coward for not risking his life? He also couldn't blame the three for putting their lives at stake. The problem was the missing students, who had explored the forest yesterday to escape but hadn't returned. The students today used this opportunity to recover the lost students before Professor Lunar banned going near the edge.

Macintosh and Dingwall wanted to prove to Dagur that they weren't the cowards he thought they were, but MacGuffin knew people never change. He didn't like the charisma in Dagur; it was obviously used for bad intentions. Still, there was nothing bad about rescuing lost students.

When the bells rang, one by one, students that went in to rescue the victims had returned, and MacGuffin waited for Dingwall and Macintosh to reappear from the smoke. They did, along with Dagur and another Slytherin girl their age.

"Are you okay?" asked Macintosh.

The girl shook her head. "I am, but Elizabeth is still out there!"

"Who on earth is Elizabeth, Tailfire?!" yelled Dagur.

"She's a Hufflepuff. From our house," said Macintosh.

"Then she doesn't concern me!" hissed Dagur.

MacGuffin knew Elizabeth like a book. She was brave and should've been sorted into Gryffindor if MacGuffin was in charge of the sorting. She was the first called out on roll call. He always remembered the nervous expression she had when she was the first to be sorted out of all of them.

More students got out of the mist and had claimed that they ran straight. They wanted to escape the school, but the scenario prevented that.

An older student came out of the smoke and was dragging another student out of danger. He had a strong, stocky build and there was nothing the girl could do to escape his hold. She was another Hufflepuff, Miriam. Her biggest reputation was being the only Hufflepuff to continue Dusk Studies.

Now that MacGuffin thought about it, he should've continued that subject too. He didn't know why he dropped that subject when all it would do was take up one measly period a week. Maybe it was Macintosh and Dingwall's influence on him that he always thought doing what they did was right.

"Let go of me! Elizabeth needs help!" She was now beating on the boy's back when he lifted her up on his shoulders. Miriam was Elizabeth's best friend, so there was nothing that would convince her to stop. She wasn't going to leave her friend behind.

"No use!" yelled the older student. "You would've been dinner if you stayed any longer!"

"Dinner?" questioned MacGuffin.

"They're coming! The second raid has begun."

The bell for the seventh period rang. It was now 3:15 pm. The students that went out yesterday to escape were all rescued, but only one was never found: Elizabeth Allen.

When word of the approaching creatures arose, the students scattered and tried to find hiding spots. There were also rumours of a few fifth years getting devoured by the new creatures, but nothing had been confirmed yet.

"How did you guys survive a night in the forest, Tailfire?" asked Macintosh. They were all hiding behind Gobber's hut, where the dragons were also nesting. Luckily none of the reptilian beasts were hungry for human flesh.

"We found a cave and camped in there while the mist was still around. It was me, Elizabeth, and many others who wanted to escape the school. But I only followed to figure out how the mist started. I was reaching too high for the stars."

"But… why didn't Miriam go if she was that desperate to keep Elizabeth safe?" asked Dingwall. They were surprised to see that he was actually listening.

"It's the same reason Elizabeth went on her own. She knew Miriam would've stopped her."

A scream from the greenhouses alerted the students.

* * *

Anna ran outside the castle with Flynn and Astrid. They were just near the entrance that led towards the greenhouses, discussing Dusk Studies and what weapons they wanted. Flynn had no clue what he desired, but Astrid did. Her favourite weapons were battle-axes and shields, which she mainly used when fighting dragons from the Outcasts. The two were fascinated with Anna's schematics from John. Their conversation was interrupted when many students ran into the castle, panicking about the next attack from the mist.

"I'll get the dragons!' said Astrid. She went ahead of them to Gobber's hut. They had been unable to escape when the crows attacked, but none were injured. None could get injured by crows.

"Go with her, Flynn!" ordered Anna. "You need to get the weapons from Gobber's hut too."

Flynn nodded and went on with Astrid. While they were gone, Anna had to investigate the scream near the greenhouses.

* * *

MacGuffin and the others ran out of their hiding spots. He saw Astrid and Flynn heading his direction, going inside Gobber's hut. He didn't know why they went in there. Not only was it against the rules, but also if the creatures had found them, they would've been cornered.

Macintosh shouted and pointed to the trees. A group of eight-legged arachnids scuttled towards them. They were enormous and called Acromantulas, a popular creature known to live in the forest. Their numbers were great and normally feasted on human meat, like all creatures in the forest.

"Spiders? Hah! They're nothing compared to our magic!" Dagur stood his ground, while other students ran for their lives.

"Let's go!" yelled Macintosh. He tried to drag Dingwall away, but the boy was more inclined to defending the castle. He then had to follow along to not be ashamed of himself.

Before the first Acromantula got to them, a wave of fire landed on the beast and ignited the creature before it could react. It was now nothing but a heap of ash. Tailfire lowered her wand, finally glad that her speciality for fire-based spells successfully defended her friends as well as herself.

More Acromantulas entered the Hogwarts grounds. The bigger ones also joined the raid, tearing down stone structures and revealing more students that found better hiding places. It wasn't a problem for the current students who fought off the spiders. Dagur, Macintosh, and Dingwall were able to fend for themselves, but the main threat to the Acromantulas was Tailfire, who knew far deadlier spells than the mere Fire-Making Charm.

The stable doors adjacent to Gobber's hut burst open with flames, and dragons filled the skies. The dragons helped the students, incinerating the Acromantulas. There was a Deadly Nadder carrying away students from the battle, bringing them to safety. Nobody was sure how Gobber managed to tame only that Deadly Nadder to innately protect the students until they all saw Astrid riding it.

"Out of the way!" yelled Astrid. Dagur and the rest jumped when the Deadly Nadder breathed out its fire. It was a magnesium flame, which was exclusive to only those kinds of dragons. It was the hottest flame from a dragon after all, despite Nadders not being listed as a Stoker Class. The trail of flames left a path of dead spiders of all sizes.

The rest of the spiders retreated, and the students lowered their guard, wondering the cause of the spiders' sudden withdrawal. A loud noise was heard after. It was the sound of many trees getting pushed over.

* * *

"Spine shot!" The dragon Astrid rode on fired a single spike towards one of the spiders. Dragons were much different from what many people knew, as they had certain restrictions and requirements to properly train for combat. One of the rules was their shot limit, which required time for the dragons to be able to fire their flames again. Each dragon had a different shot limit; the Deadly Nadder had six.

This did not stop Astrid, as the dragon she was on had a spiny tail, capable of firing venomous needles. She watched with regret when she realised the sheer amount of Acromantulas nearby. They were all ready to jump towards her until they all decided to disappear into the forest.

"Think you can land, girl?" The Nadder made an agreeable noise, lowering itself for Astrid to dismount.

The spider that was shot through the abdomen by the dragon's spike was dead. Strangely, the dead spider wasn't leaking any Black Sand from its wound, unless it wasn't infected, to begin with. This would've meant Astrid killed an innocent creature. But what caused their aggressive nature today was what she wanted to know.

A sudden roar emerged from the woods. Judging by the volume, which was capable of driving all living entities out of the forest, this thing was huge. It was the alpha of the Acromantula colony without a doubt.

"Go find someplace safe." Astrid commanded. The dragon was unwilling to leave her, but Astrid insisted anyway. "Find anyone who needs help, and don't come back for me."

There was nothing the dragon could do at this point. If the alpha of the spiders was the one influencing the entirety of the colony, then it was the one infected with Corruption. Astrid didn't even know if a dragon's venom was able to subdue an Acromantula, and she had no plans for finding out.

After helping the students at the greenhouses, Anna reached Gobber's hut where Flynn had taken shelter after freeing the dragons. The two now had to keep an eye out to see if Astrid was safe. The giant Acromantula was different in many ways other than its size. This alpha was glaring at Astrid with eight visible yellow eyes with a hint of black veins on its sclera. This was like a science experiment gone wrong on tarantulas.

The sound of the crumbling floor distracted Astrid. She turned behind her and saw many Acromantulas emerging from the ground. Smaller ones then followed along through the tunnels, attacking the school from all directions.

Astrid knew she made a mistake. The moment she turned around, the alpha was going to swallow her whole. Even if she decided to run at this instant, the giant tarantula was going to outspeed her anyway.

"Astrid!" yelled a voice. Astrid saw two professors near the main Acromantula. Professor Bunnymund and Professor Toothiana had cast spells to injure it and then severed its legs with Tooth's swords.

"Professor?" The second year student couldn't be any happier with their timing. She watched Professor Bunnymund climbing on top of the spider, which she now got a proper look at it. The creature was almost the size of her house on Berk. Bunny struck one of Tooth's blades into the spider to destroy its heart.

"Bunny! Its heart is near the other segment!" Before Bunnymund reacted, the Black Sand exploded from the Acromantula's wound, sending the Head of Slytherin off the arachnid.

The Corruption went into action, as the wounds on the spider healed and the chopped up legs began reattaching. It released a demonic shriek, expressing its pain and anger. The Acromantulas nearby then fixated their sights to the second year and the two professors.

Bunnymund fired the spells first and Tooth managed to escape with Astrid. It was now a battle between the army of spiders and the two professors. Astrid felt helpless and didn't want to follow Tooth's orders.

Stay safe and let us handle this!

The concentrated area of spiders was thinning out, but Astrid remembered that Flynn was still hiding. If the battle kept on going, Gobber's hut was going to eventually fall into the path of destruction. Either an Acromantula was going to fall on top of it or the intense magic of the professors would hit the building. Astrid wasn't going to let either happen.

Astrid bolted to the hut and avoided some giant spiders that almost came near. The ones that noticed her were taken down by the Deadly Nadder's spine shot. Astrid owed that dragon a lot.

The door to Gobber's hut opened and she saw Flynn and Anna hiding with another student. He was their age and Astrid recognised that he was the son of Lord MacGuffin, ruler of MacGuffin at Scotland. She was only surprised by the fact that he wasn't hiding with Dingwall or Macintosh.

"What happened at the Herbology greenhouses, Anna?"

"It was just a few students who saw the spiders. I got over here as fast as I could but the giant one came out of nowhere."

"Well, you guys need to get out of here!" They heard a strange tremor and the ground behind Astrid erupted. It was the alpha of the Acromantula colony. They were surprised that the creature actually set a trap for Astrid.

"Yummy," whispered the alpha with a deep sinister voice. It began pounding on the hut, and the students sealed the door before the spider's leg poked through. Dust and cobweb fell from the ceiling. The four had to do something before they got crushed.

"Over here!" They followed Astrid as she opened another door. This door led to the stables.

"What are we doing here? The dragons are gone and the door is on fire," said Flynn. Astrid picked up some weapons from the rack. With dragons around, this place was a stable. But without dragons, this place was like the typical barracks found at Military Kingdoms.

"How well are you guys with weapons?" asked Astrid. She wielded an axe and a wooden shield. MacGuffin then picked up a war hammer, twirling it with his wrists as if it weighed nothing. He was then reminded of the horrible picture etched into his memory. Neither the Dugbog nor this Acromantula wanted to die. He didn't have it in him to kill this beast, even if it was riddled with Corruption.

"Scared?" asked Astrid when she saw the boy's hands shake. "So am I, but we need to do this to stay alive."

"We can't power through that! We need a plan."

Astrid turned to Anna. "Well, why don't you think of one, Ravenclaw? Just don't mind the alpha waiting outside."

* * *

Tooth and Bunnymund managed well. They took down an Acromantula and the rest fled for good. They were sure the giant spiders were intimidated, until they saw that it was the alpha, ignoring the process of destroying Hogwarts. It was more focussed on one building in particular: Gobber's hut.

"Students are in there!" yelled Bunnymund and he nearly took off, stopping when the Once-ler came. He wanted Tooth and Bunnymund to watch, but they wouldn't listen. There were students in that building and watching was the last thing on their list.

Acromantulas appeared in front of them inconveniently. It must've been the alpha forcing some of its children to protect it while it feasted.

A loud boom escaped Gobber's hut and fire surrounded the alpha. It screeched with agony but the Corruption was preventing it from dying unless it got wounded in the heart. Four students used this time to escape the building while the fire destroyed it.

Anna fired a spell on the alpha when it was extinguished to gain its attention. The spider ran towards her. Anna didn't run; instead, she calmly stuffed her hand in a charmed pouch that had more storage than it appeared. Out came a purple crystal and she threw it in front of her, activating it with her Semblance when the spider was above it.

A purple wisp of smoke escaped the crystal and engulfed the spider. It sent the Acromantula in the air, crashing it back onto the ground. This was another opportunity for Flynn, as he tied a long rope on the spider's thorax before it recovered from the fall.

This wasn't entirely Anna's plan, as the plan she discussed to them was to 'take down the spider'. Flynn took over. Having experience with plotting to begin heists and master plans he wouldn't share with anyone, he had a wonderful plan to take down the monster. MacGuffin was the strength, but his weapon was blunt, so killing the spider wasn't his job—much to his relief.

The spider was fully healed quicker than they had anticipated. Its first surprise for them was to dash with Flynn on top, so he then tried to stay on the spider. All his wounds from the first attack were healed days ago and reopening the wounds was unlikely.

The spider then ran towards Astrid, ignoring the boy. Flynn then didn't have anything with him to stab the abdomen. He didn't even have his wand because Dusk Studies didn't require any. He fell off the spider and grabbed onto the rope, trailing behind the spider.

Astrid had MacGuffin's wand. She fired multiple Incendio Charms to confuse it while MacGuffin was ready to strike. A concussive blow was thrown onto the alpha by the hammer. Flynn then escaped after dropping the rope, seeing the students and professors in the castle watching.

"Ready!" yelled Anna. Astrid then charged towards Anna, who was standing in the open field, away from all other creatures. The sunlight spanned across the entire field, which was part of the plan. There were glinting objects in the grass for Astrid to see. All she had to do was follow the trail that led to Anna.

The alpha then regenerated its fractured head and chased Astrid once again. It must have had a craving for Astrid's flesh. Astrid passed the first glint and the Acromantula was above it. They already considered the spider's speed, which was usually faster than Astrid, unless it had an anchor to slow it down. In this case, it was MacGuffin.

The spider wrestled with MacGuffin as he pulled back the rope. Anna waved her arm and a jet of flames covered the spider. A flaw to this plan was that the rope was going to give in with the flames burning the fibres. They had to continue with the plan, but ten times faster without MacGuffin holding it back. Astrid ran further to Anna and Anna was ready to activate the Dusk Crystals with great haste. They weren't sure which one the spider was going to give up on.

The rope severed and MacGuffin fell backwards. Astrid readied her shield in case the colossal spider was not going to stop. A burst of electricity, then poison erupted from the ground, which slowed it down instead. The cluster of ice then slowed it down even more, and Anna realised the Dusk Magic was different depending on how she was going to activate it. If she had concentrated and focussed on what she wanted to create, the spider would've been down long ago.

The next crystal was green, so the effect was an earth-based magic. She was determined and activated the Dusk Crystal, protruding a thin stalactite-shaped rock from the crystal. The rock formation went straight through the alpha, piercing its heart and ending its rampage.

The Once-ler, Tooth, and Bunnymund got to the corpse of the spider and they all saw the Black Sand escaping with the wind. The alpha regained its colours and its eyes reverted back to black. Its legs then began folding underneath itself while the stalagmite pinned it to the ground.


	10. Field Practise

Quidditch tryouts had begun. Many students were ready to demonstrate their capabilities of bringing glory to their house. It was the only thing that could filter out the chaos occurring around them. Many weren't sure if the Headmaster was going to allow Quidditch this year, especially after the rule of staying away from the forest unless accompanied by a professor was made. The period between the crows and the spiders were weeks apart, so it was unlikely for something to happen now.

Hiccup and Rapunzel watched from the wooden seats of the Quidditch pitch. They had no plans of being part of the team, but nothing was stopping them from seeing their friends. Jack was already in the air, and Merida was waiting for her turn.

Jack had no preference with his position in the team, even with a talent of being extremely mobile in the air. He had not been flying since his Flying classes last year with Mr Frondman, Nod's guardian.

Merida too hadn't practised broomstick flying in a while. There were many rules at Hogwarts in regards to the use of broomsticks. She had her own and wasn't going to risk getting it confiscated for absurd reasons. She never had the opportunity during the summer break, as flying around in a Muggle world would spark attention and result in her expulsion. Even at the archery range far from home, there were a few Muggles lurking around, so the risks outweighed her decision to break the rules. She had once decided to bend the rules one day by flying her broomstick in the forest in London, but flying through interlocking trees and dodging trunks proved difficult.

Basically, all four houses were holding tryouts at the same time. Hans, Nod, Elsa, and MK remained as captains of their respective houses. They worked better together, so recruiting new players was beneficial for all teams. Hans and MK were instructing Jack to do several trials such as catching and passing a Quaffle. Elsa and Nod were staying on the sidelines watching.

Elsa was a good observer, and they didn't want Nod going easy on Jack since they've been getting to know each other for a while these days. From what they've seen, Jack was a capable teammate, a worthy addition to the Gryffindor team, a jack-of-all-trades. There were many spots vacant in Gryffindor since some of the former members were in their final year last year. They then leant towards Jack becoming a Chaser to use his speed to its maximum potential.

"All right, Jack. You did well. Take a break… hit the showers—whatever you do after an intense workout," recommended MK.

Jack headed back down to where his friends 'camped' during his session. It all took thirty minutes for Jack, so getting through all the volunteers would take the entire day. Luckily it was the weekend. Merida's turn was next, and there was no bias from Hans, so he was going to trial her with Nod.

Anna was with the others. She was planning on being part of the Ravenclaw team, but obviously, Elsa wasn't going to trial her and neither was Hans because they've known each other for a while now. Xander, Lily, and Yang were there too.

John was initially with them until they told him the use of a Dusk Weapon for Quidditch was banned. Either way, all players used the same broomsticks, so John had no choice but to mope in the dungeons. He had no problem flying other broomsticks. But even then, his desired position was still taken by Elsa. Little did many people know that Yang threatened John to not take Elsa's position for unknown reasons she saw in the Prophecy Record.

"So what are you trying out for, Yang?" asked Rapunzel.

"Who me? I think Seeker is the one I want."

"Hypocrisy," muttered Xander.

"Heard that! I said I wanted to be Seeker, but considering that role has been already filled by MK, I only want to be a Chaser or Keeper. Happy?!"

"Barely."

Rapunzel, Jack, and Hiccup kept a conversation going between themselves. They had actually been spending less time together after the recent events. Bedtimes had been pushed earlier for most students. The exotic food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner have become scarce. And the fear of another attack had rendered students trapped in their common rooms.

"I don't believe we'll make it through this year if the curse doesn't lift," said Hiccup. "The fact that everyone wants it gone as much as I do is weird because nobody is looking into this." Hiccup then began recording notes into his book he received from Merida last year.

"There's nothing to look into anymore, remember? Qwerty destroyed the book with all the vital information needed. All Merida found out was the witch, so the professors had no choice but to reveal that part of the curse."

"Merida didn't find anything else? No weakness? No counter? Nothing?" questioned Jack. He was the only one unsure of the whole thing. They had to retell the story to him.

"I reckon we go back to that stone circle. It started there, so it will end there," said Hiccup.

"That's true, but remember that only the wisps can lead us there. I've watched for a long time now and I haven't seen them ever since. I hope the curse didn't scare them away. You remember seeing the wisp, Jack?"

"I do. But I've never seen them. All I know is that they led you guys to me when I went into the forest to get Flee back."

"She's fine, right?" asked Rapunzel, ignoring the odd nickname.

"Sure she is. If North is with her, nothing could possibly go wrong. I just hope I get to see her again."

"Don't think like that. Of course you'll see her again."

"Easy for you to say. You have your entire family here at Hogwarts, Rapunzel." Jack smiled and Rapunzel laughed. She hadn't realised the size of her family was so little compared to Anna's or Merida's. But one was enough for Rapunzel.

"That's true. Hiccup, has she done anything bad in your Charms class?" asked Rapunzel.

"Nothing I can recall. She's always making things strict and harsh. I just think she doesn't care if we succeed or not. She doesn't even yell at Xander for not practising his charms. North normally encourages Xander to participate. At least she isn't starting a fight with Yang."

Rapunzel didn't know what she wanted to hear. All she wanted to know was how horrible her mother was. After these few weeks, if Rapunzel was honest to herself, she was feeling a lot of guilt for hating her mum like that. No child should ever feel that way towards their parent. She never got hit during school. With her mother here, she still hadn't been hit, which was surprising for the young Ravenclaw.

* * *

Elsa watched Merida doing as she was instructed. The girl's main goal was to be a Beater and nothing else. She was full of determination with only one spot open for that role. If they weren't going to give what she wanted, she wasn't going to bother with another role in the team.

Merida was doing pretty well for a second year student. If she was to be trained a lot more, she'd become flawless with the role of a Beater. How hard could it be? Their only job in Quidditch was hitting Bludgers. They didn't have to worry about shooting goals, defending hoops, or even catching an evasive Golden Snitch. To make things equal, Bludgers were made up of iron, weighing over 50 kilogrammes, no challenge for Merida though.

She landed another clean hit on a Bludger. The black projectile was sent far away in the field too minuscule for anyone to see. The Quidditch players were impressed and continued on with the regime. What many people failed to notice was the missing Bludger, which had not returned for a while.

Elsa was the only one to notice. She didn't say anything and watched everyone to see if they've realised too. Nobody did. Bludgers were designed to return to the players.

She saw Yang stand up and leave her seat, telling her friends that she'll be back. Perhaps that second year noticed too. Elsa decided to follow her, insisting that it was not safe to head out alone. Though Yang wasn't heading out of the pitch. She was for some reason heading under the seats, apparently searching for something.

"I can take care of myself thank you very much, Ice Queen."

Elsa paused and so did Yang. What was Yang implying? Nobody but her parents knew about Elsa's powers.

"What are you talking about?" questioned the princess.

"I've seen what you could do when you're nervous," said Yang. "Elsa, why are you afraid of your powers?"

"It's not a power," she replied calmly. "It's a curse."

"Curse or not, it's part of you."

"It wasn't like that in the beginning." Elsa turned away, keeping her arms folded and staring at the ground, forgetting that she had a goal to find the missing Bludger.

"Let me guess… These powers appeared a few years ago? 2492?" asked Yang.

"The rumours are true then. You can see people's past, present, and future."

"Fine. Don't answer me. And I'm flattered there are rumours about me instead of Xander. I can only see the past and present of an individual. I've seen you accidentally freeze surfaces when touched, but what I can't seem to find is the moment you were afraid of it."

"Why can't you just look through the past?" asked Elsa. They were nearly at the opposite of the pitch. The light that stabbed through the gaps of the seats gave them illumination to press on.

"You see… I can't just look for 'Elsa's moment when she was scared of ice'. Instead, I have to look at a specific time. From what I know, it happened two years ago. These powers aren't a Semblance nor are they a curse. They pass on from host to host, granting unbelievable abilities."

"Abilities?"

"I knew someone with those exact powers. He could conjure ice and water without expending any Core Magic. You never get tired of casting your ice or water, do you?"

"I've never tried to cast it at will," admitted Elsa. "And I can't control water."

"Maybe it's different for everyone. I just know it passed on from him to you. He didn't always have those powers in the past."

"How did he get rid of them and pass them to me? Why me?" questioned Elsa.

"It passes on at random most of the time unless you were the last in his thoughts."

"Last in his thoughts? You're not saying that he—"

"Scott passed away. That's how the power transfers to another." The conversation dropped after the mention of death. They continued their search around the area.

"So what is it you're looking for? Did you also notice the Bludger?"

Yang stared back at Elsa bewilderedly. "No? I saw a lizard and wanted to catch it."

"You want to catch a lizard?"

"It's not just any lizard," interjected Yang. "This one has been following me for a while last year now."

"Is it orange?"

"Yes! That's the one! But how did you know?"

"If I remember, I've seen it too. Last year, when my friends and I were at the Great Hall, I saw one scuttling under our table. I was the only one, but I decided to remain quiet because it was just a lizard."

"So it was your first time too? I guess that proves that it came here because of a second year student. Anyway, you following me isn't because you're after the lizard."

"You're right." The two reached the area Elsa was planning to inspect. She could see the missing Bludger near them, underneath the seats. "There it is!"

"Stop!" warned Yang.

Elsa turned with a distraught face. "What?! Why?" She then saw a dark figure behind Yang, hovering off the ground like a ghost. The cloak swayed in the air, but there was no wind. The princess felt her spirit fall along with courage. With the figure's arm extended, it was ready to cast a spell at the two.

Yang saw it all in Elsa's expression. She ducked before the spell made contact and Elsa blocked the spell by creating a pillar of ice. Before they fought back, they turned around to see the figure clearly. It was the witch from Year X. Yang knew what was going on, but Elsa had no clue like the rest of the school. The witch made a menacing laugh and disintegrated into black particles, commonly known as the Black Sand.

"Are you okay?" asked Elsa as she helped Yang up.

"Yeah, but that witch must've done something before we got here. If she hadn't, then she would've been back by now to finish it off."

The two heard a vibrating sound coming from the Bludger. They didn't stay long enough to see what was going to happen, but warning their friends was the best option. What they missed was the Bludger twitching around as if a creature was stuck inside, trying to break free. The Bludger then spawned another Bludger, and the process repeated to an infinite cycle.

"Yang, I know you're close with your friends, but please… don't tell anyone about my powers. Don't tell Anna."

* * *

Elsa and Yang return to the group. Their friends weren't aware of anything; instead, they were still watching Merida while she was doing very well. This brief period of bliss and exhilaration was going to end the moment the two opened their mouths.

"We have a problem, guys." They turned to Elsa.

"A problem?" asked MK.

"One of the Bludgers never came back and we saw a witch cast something on it," said Yang.

"A witch?" asked Xander.

"The witch." Yang answered.

"And you left the Bludger?"

"Of course I did! It could've exploded or—"

"If something was cursed, charmed, or any of that sort, there is one thing other than a counter-spell that could stop it. Core Magic is your strongest weapon. Do you at least know what kind of spell was used on that Bludger?"

"We didn't stick around too long. From my guess, it's a curse."

"What do we do?" asked Rapunzel.

Xander didn't answer. He was letting Yang do all of the explaining, which annoyed her. Just because she was taking charge this year, doesn't mean she was making all of the decisions. She knew what Xander was trying to do to her. He wanted to make her feel hopeless and that she needed him. It wasn't going to happen. In fact, he had been hinting her what she needed to do.

"We—" Before Yang said another word, a Bludger broke through the seats on the other side of the pitch. More Bludgers rapidly joined the single Bludger and they were going to wreak havoc in the pitch.

Merida noticed the Bludgers and dodged them when they approached her. Hans, Nod, and the other flyers immediately escaped the area. Merida was also following along, ready to regroup with her friends, but for some reason, the Bludgers were blocking her way. It was as if they were fixated on her.

"Attention all! Please evacuate the pitch immediately. I repeat. Please evacuate!" Elsa used the Amplifying Charm the same way Moonhaven used it to address the entire school. She left with MK and was expecting to see Nod and Hans outside the pitch.

"C'mon let's go!" ordered Yang. A few near her like Anna left, but her two friends stayed. "Xander, Lily, are you deaf!" It was not just those two that stayed, but also Jack, Rapunzel, and Hiccup.

"Merida needs our help!" said Jack. Rapunzel stopped Jack before he did anything rash. The swarm of Bludgers was surrounding Merida, but they weren't sure if she was dodging them or getting hit by them.

"Wait, Jack," warned Rapunzel. A group of Bludgers then targeted the second years. Hiccup fired the Knockback Jinx on one of the projectiles. The Bludger managed to budge, but the spell was too weak to redirect it.

The two Bludgers that nearly hit them were destroyed. The three turned to see Xander firing more spells to stop them from getting hurt. They didn't recognise what the spell was, but it seemed to explode whatever was out there, which was useful. Either that spell was illegal or it was not safe for young people to use.

"Are you helping us?" asked Jack. Xander nodded. "Well what do we do?"

"How should I know?" Xander then turned to Yang and she was getting fed up with his attitude.

"Xander, you help reduce the number of Bludgers in the air. Lily, you help slow down the ones with Arresto Momentum. I know you're still practising that one with Xander, but it will be enough to slow them down rather than stopping them. Only hit the ones that get close for Xander to destroy them, okay?"

"What should we do?" asked Hiccup.

"Nothing. I'm going down to destroy the original Bludger. From the look of things, it was cursed by the Gemino Curse, which is why it's still multiplying," said Yang.

"No." Hiccup answered. "We're not standing here and doing nothing. Nobody said you were in charge too. Stopping the Bludgers isn't going to be quick, and Merida won't last—"

"What are you guys still doing here?" asked Hans. He was on his broomstick, instructing people to leave.

"Our friend, Merida is still up there!" yelled Rapunzel. Hans spotted the redhead and was prepared to save her.

"We need all the firepower to eliminate the Bludgers to create an opening. After that, Hans will have a chance to save Merida and you and I will head down to destroy the first Bludger," said Hiccup.

"You don't even know how to stop a Gemino Curse, Hiccup."

"No, but I know how to eliminate any Bludgers that end up chasing us."

"Hm, fine. We'll focus on saving Merida first and go with your plan."

* * *

The students got out their wands with Hans waiting for his cue. A barrage of spells was loose and a dazzling display of lights exploded upon the destruction of the Bludgers. Hans then flew into the storm of Bludgers, seeing Merida far away from his reach.

"Go, go, go!" Yang and Hiccup ran down the steps to where Elsa and Yang were previously. There were a few Bludgers crashing into the seats to pursue them. This was definitely the correct way to the main Bludger, otherwise, those duplicates wouldn't have chased them.

Rapunzel and Jack knew very little spells to help in this situation. They might as well have left it all to Yang and her friends if Hiccup wasn't so stubborn. He was probably tired of feeling useless in these cases. It was rare for them to witness Hiccup trying to take action.

Rapunzel watched as Hans was now very close to Merida, but a Bludger made a clean hit on her broomstick, sending her spinning towards the ground. Hans managed to catch her and helped regain control over the broomstick. They both now directed the broomsticks back out of the frenzy.

It was now up to the people in Merida's year to create another opening for the two to safely return. They were beginning to notice how the Bludgers were only focussed on Merida.

* * *

"Let's go." Yang was sidestepping the Bludgers by using the wooden supports for cover. Hiccup too did the same until they knew the structure above them was going to cave in the moment they got all the supports broken. They had to speed up because their friends were depending on this madness to end. They couldn't destroy Bludgers forever.

Hiccup tried to follow along, but Yang was too quick on her feet. There was some kind of determination he could sense in her. It was stronger than Hiccup's.

The first Bludger was spotted but it was duplicating more Bludgers to them. Hiccup stopped all of them and gave Yang the opportunity to get close. He wasn't useless after all, and Yang was considering letting them help out every now and then. She was then thinking about Xander. He had been taunting her all year because of her lack of trust in him. Last year she was being cooperative, but if he had only known why she was keeping him on the sidelines, he would've understood.

This had to end now, and destroying this Bludger was the first step into Xander trusting her. Maybe he was trusting of her but just didn't enjoy letting her hold the burden of handling the obstacles this year. It didn't matter. She wanted Xander to trust her judgement that not every situation needed allies. If she were in charge of last year's mission of foiling the Dark Weapon's plans of killing Jack, she would've done it all on her own. She would've told Jack everything and alerted the Ministry. There was the possibility of her getting captured because of her affiliation with the Dark Weapon, but it would've saved everyone in Burgess.

"Energius Reducto!" The yellow spell engulfed the Bludger and destroyed the Gemino Curse. There were also shielding spells to protect it, but nothing could block off Core Magic.

"We should help them eliminate the remaining Bludgers," suggested Hiccup. "If the Bludgers were after Merida, then the moment Hans saves her, all the remaining Bludgers will collapse on them."

"You're right!" She went ahead of Hiccup and was full of adrenaline. The idea of being helpful was great, especially in front of Xander. They just had to get there before anyone got hurt.

Hiccup was having trouble catching up with Yang. This girl was running at the pace of MacGuffin's speech. "Hey, Yang. Wait—"

Yang turned and noticed dust covering Hiccup. There was light poking through the hole made below the seats above him. A Bludger appeared from the dust and got destroyed by Yang's spell. She then saw Hiccup lying down on the ground, knocked out by the Bludger.

She now had a choice. Pulling Hiccup out of the wreckage was going to be difficult, and they weren't going to make it to their friends. If she left Hiccup, she would've reached her friends in time, but the chance of another Bludger heading towards Hiccup was probable. This was fatal for Hiccup if his head was left untreated too. She was about to leave after hearing the spells intensify, but this was her fault. Hiccup wouldn't have been hurt if she didn't run ahead of him, and she wasn't going to let him die. Xander's state was Yang's fault. The fate of the other two years ago back at Corona was also her fault because she trusted Darkcharm.

Yang carried Hiccup's entire body on her shoulders. He was lighter than she thought, good for both of them. Hiccup's voice was then heard and she kept on going until a familiar sound was heard.

The twinkling of Lily's potion was travelling above the pitch, and the sky was darkening. The sub level of the pitch was now becoming pitch black, and travelling was twice as hard. Numerous flashes of blue light were appearing. It was either by a professor or by Xander, but the occurrence after Lily's potion was hinting that it was Xander's. No student knew this curse except for one. Xander had this all figured out without Yang.

Hiccup was fine to walk on his own, but his head was still spinning. Yang carefully placed him on the ground, confusing the Hufflepuff male.

"What are you doing?" Yang did not reply. She cradled her head in her arms, covering her face from Hiccup—not that he was able to see it clearly. But the sobs were heard.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Hiccup as the blue flashes were becoming less frequent. "Yang? Are you listening? You need to tell me if you want to make it through this. It's all right to be scared."

"I'm not scared!" Hiccup didn't flinch from her. He then waited as she took a deep breath. "I've never been scared for a long time. It's just that Xander thinks I'm untrustworthy. I—I thought this was the best opportunity to prove how useful I am, but it just made things worse!"

Hiccup then sat down in front of her. Standing actually made the dizziness even worse.

"Xander might be independent. Independent people don't need help unless they fall into a steep cliff and need to get dragged out, which is rare. What you're feeling now, is what I've felt every moment of my life. I still haven't found my strength nor have I found my Semblance. I'm sure you'll eventually find your calling. Who cares what society thinks if we can't help? Just keep waiting, and things will soon become clearer. So… do you want to get out of here?"

Yang nodded. She helped Hiccup up and they made their way out. The blue light expanded and became blinding.

* * *

"There's too many!" yelled Jack. They were all firing their magic after Merida was rescued. She had suffered a few bruises that needed minor treatment. All the Bludgers were now headed towards them, so they couldn't leave just yet. "You can't seriously think you can take them all out that once!"

"Then I guess now is a better time. Lily." Xander called.

"Are you sure? What if it doesn't work?"

"Then we will have to run like hell."

Lily took out a potion from her pocket and it glowed purple with a familiar ring. Jack immediately recognised it and knew what it was going to do.

"Wingardium Leviosa." The potion floated on Lily's command and kept it suspended in front of Xander, as he was prepared to fire a spell.

A blue light landed on the potion, and Xander waved his wand to send the potion over the Quidditch pitch. He had to be careful to not let the Bludgers break the potion before it finished its journey.

The potion shattered on command and a large glyph engulfed the skies. The scenery was gloomy as if it was a nightmare, and they could see Xander controlling the glyph. Whatever spell he cast on the potion was aimed for the Bludgers, which the others were trying to slow down.

The glyph rotated and rained down blue spells. It was multiplying Xander's spell like it did with Jack's Freezing Spell last Halloween. These blue spells were like homing missiles, following the Bludgers and exploding them upon contact. There were flickers of light during the explosions. Pairing that display with the dark sky was like a fireworks show. It amazed them along with the people watching from the castle.

They weren't prepared to let their guard down just yet. Watching the problem getting solved with ease wasn't helpful.

A surprise Bludger appeared from the seats nearby. It was one of those Bludgers that they assumed were after Yang and Hiccup. It was aimed towards Jack, and his reflexes cast Core Magic on the Bludger, causing it to stop moving. Everyone knew Jack was able to cast Core Magic, except for Hans. The other students who stayed on the pitch were too far to see the red spell.

Yang and Hiccup returned, and Xander could see Yang obviously upset.

"The Bludger?"

"Destroyed," replied Yang.

"And you did not get hurt?"

"No." She then turned to Hiccup, who was about to decorate the floor with his lunch. The bruise that was visible on the side of his head was noticeable to all.

Xander slowly approached Yang to see if she was lying about her injuries. There were none.

"Good," he said. Yang smiled.

Hiccup was in the corner, vomiting from the dizziness. They all took Hiccup and Merida to the hospital wing, as they were the only ones injured. The Bludger caught by Jack was going to be taken in for inspection.


	11. Year X

The third raid had arrived sooner than expected. Not many people considered it a raid because it only occurred in one area. Even so, this was causing a lot of panic to the students. Rules were now reaching their limit and there was nothing more they could do to protect the students. It was a difficult decision for Lunar to make, but he went along with it and cancelled Quidditch for the year. Nobody was sure he made the right decision, not even Lunar himself.

The Bludger that was stopped with Jack's Core Magic was safely taken to Professor Lunar's office. They had stripped the iron ball to pieces and found traces of the Gemino Curse, which some had already figured out. There were also various spells used to cause the Bludgers' behaviour to track Merida, but nothing could help the teachers find out anything to stop the evil witch. Their only new lead was the witch's desire to kill Merida, which meant they had to keep an eye on her.

"This isn't fair! Why are we getting punished for being attacked?" asked Nod. He and the other captains were in a discussion with Mr Frondman.

Elsa and Hans didn't argue because they agreed with the Headmaster's choice. They knew what it was like to lead a large group of people; they've observed their parents. If MK and Nod had that chance, they'd agree with the Headmaster's choice.

"There should've been something we could've done. Black Sand gets stronger the more people fear, and removing Quidditch—the main source of fun—will bring more fear into the school," said MK.

"I know you're angry that the two of yous didn't get a say in this. We never intended to make people upset about it, but the decision stands. The Bludgers used during practised had always been weakened to make the training easier, so imagine what it would've been like if that same attacked occurred in a real match. People almost died. And a real match would've cost more lives with the remaining survivors scarred for life, watching their friends die. That is what we want to avoid. That is what will make the school really scared."

* * *

Merida was taken to the hospital wing with Hiccup. Her bruises weren't serious, but eventually, her body became sore, so she wanted to rest on the beds for a while near Hiccup.

She counted two more students on the other side of the room with Pierce helping them. The girl was getting bandaged, after falling off her broomstick. She was with the Ravenclaw team—probably a Beater.

The other patient was a male. She had seen him in her common room a few times before. He suffered a similar injury to Hiccup, but it was more serious. His skull had a fracture, while Hiccup did not. It was no problem with magic, as Pierce successfully repaired the skull with no risks. Hiccup was lucky to have evaded that pain. It was likely his head didn't break because the Bludger broke through the seats before landing on Hiccup's head. Those seats were what slowed the Bludger down.

Rapunzel and Jack were with them along with Anna. Anna had fled earlier when the Bludgers attacked. She was feeling guilty for not helping, but she wasn't strong like her sister.

The doors opened and Yang entered the hospital wing with hardly any notice. She had the Prophecy Record in her hand and was ready to use it.

"What are you planning?" asked Merida. The girl looked back and lowered her orb.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to show you all the past."

"Why?" asked Jack. "What would you possibly gain?"

The Hufflepuff sighed angrily. "I'm not Xander. That's something you all should know. I want to show you guys the Dark Weapon. After that, you all should be at the same knowledge as me."

"What could you possibly know about the Dark Weapon? Unless you personally knew them, you wouldn't know their full names," said Hiccup.

Yang looked at Merida. "So you never told them about our conversation on the train? I guess I should start trusting you a little more."

"You gave me a choice to tell them."

"And why didn't you tell us?" asked Hiccup.

Merida thought about it. She only told Rapunzel, but that was only to prove a point. If she didn't have a valid reason, Jack and Hiccup were not going to be pleased.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell the two of you. I was going to tell… but ever since the curse, it slipped my mind."

"Sure," replied Jack sarcastically.

"Don't act like the victim, Jack. I'm sure you have something worth hiding from the rest of us," said Yang. "I seem to recall that you went to Burgess."

"I did, but I still call it Hawthorne. I told my friends that, and I'd appreciate it if you kept your nose out of everyone's business."

"Every moment I use my Semblance has a good reason. Say… didn't you find something interesting on the crashed ship?" They then waited as Jack was shuddering. The image of his lifeless home. Yang wasn't talking about the blood on the floor, but he couldn't help but picture it again.

"I found a symbol on the crashed ship." Jack looked towards Anna's direction. "The symbol was Arendelle's crocus."

"And now Anna has something to share, don't you?"

Anna glared at Yang. "I know what all of you are thinking, but I promise my family has nothing to do with it. You see… My company sells Dusk Crystals all over the world, so the customers can do whatever they want with it."

"Don't they need to explain their intentions before purchasing?"

"They do, Merida. But it's not like they always tell the truth. Anyway, just because my family has been selling Dusk for a few generations, doesn't mean they are always to blame. Of course you'd find the symbol in the ship."

"It wasn't in the ship, Anna. It was imprinted on the actual ship itself."

"But… I've never heard of ships owned by Arendelle Corp."

"What else did you see, Jack? Describe the foliage." Yang requested.

"There were strange plants I've never seen before. I'd know most of the trees since I played outside my house a lot." Jack then had to remember those children from Hawthorne. They were all dead because of Jack's very existence.

"Hold on. Why are you making us going against Anna? You don't know if Anna's family is responsible!" argued Rapunzel. "Dusk doesn't always come from Arendelle, right?"

"Correct. But haven't you heard of a wolf in sheep's clothing? Sometimes the leaders we follow aren't who they seem to be," said Yang.

Anna slowly stepped back. The others could see the tears in her eyes. How dare they talk about her family like that. She ran off and left the hospital wing. It was funny how she was the one who decided to stay with them because she thought they were her friends.

"Now you've done it," said Merida. Jack lowered his head in guilt. All he did was answer Yang's questions, but they might've been what hurt Anna because he was her friend.

"I didn't mean to… I just wanted to prove a point," said Yang.

Rapunzel was about to leave to bring Anna back.

"Stop. I need you here to see the vision. The others are waiting for me outside so she'll be in good company."

"What are you showing us?" queried Hiccup.

"Year X."

* * *

A world full of magic. A world where the norms were different in everyone's perspective. The semblance of normality was frequent to both the wizarding and the Muggle world. Of course, none of this was fair. A Muggle would've never considered the world of magic as mundane. But who were they to judge? They never lived in both lifestyles to compare the difference.

Luckily, to avoid this conflict, the wizarding world remained in secret, hiding their valued abilities from the rest of the world. Over time, their worlds became distinct. Their clothing remained archaic. Their lifespans increased drastically. Their speech became slightly different depending on their location in both worlds.

Vile was the only word to describe the wizarding world's actions. Their selfish acts created a rift. But mankind from the Muggle world was as cunning and clever as the wizarding world. They developed astounding discoveries and still barely scratched the surface of science, whereas the wizarding world had indulged themselves with old skills. No more spells were discovered. No new potions were invented. The ability of perseverance was the Muggle world's greatest gift that the wizarding world never claimed.

After many centuries, one man discovered the wizarding world. At first, he was surprised and enlightened. The advancement of the human race was able to progress. As time passed, so did his patience. He soon discovered the creation of magic, after making acquaintances with people of the other world. The wizarding world treated Muggles as rats or scum. Angered, the man was ready to snuff out the magic; only then would the two worlds live together as equals.

His real name was never known. Instead, he came up with a different name easily remembered to the wizarding world: Alvah.

All his efforts were exerted into destroying the other world. Alvah banded a team containing both Muggles and wizards. Without their knowledge, he was going to turn on them the moment he gained power, and he did. With the discovery of Dusk, the team created mechanical beings called Dusk Droids. The robots' properties allowed them to take on a wizard without receiving any damage from spells.

Losing most of the ambushes, Tsar Lunar and his comrades were forced to take action. They had no idea their enemies were among them, taking their important resources from the library. They were being studied like lab rats right under their noses. Alvah's revolution grew stronger with wealth after selling the last speck of Dusk to the Arendelle family. This was the beginning of the end, and Year X had begun with the war between the wizarding world and the Dark Weapon.

Valiance and courage were the product of Berk's army. A dragon war took place between Berk's army and the Dark Weapon's dragons at France. This battle nearly took out the entire dragon race, until their brave yet regretful leader, Hiccup Haddock II, retreated to save his people. The dragons from the Dark Weapon carried out their duty, and destroyed a Magic Pinnacle, causing magic around Europe to die out.

At the same moment, one of Lunar's friends were sent to South America to protect a sacred area that held another Magic Pinnacle. The mission was a fail because of a witch that had turned against them. She specialised in Corruption Magic, like Pitch Black, and killed Lunar's friend. Not everything was at stake. Pitch Black rose from the shadows and helped his former adversaries. The witch was taken out and her body was sent to Hogwarts, where apparently the final pinnacle remained. Using that advantage, they used magic to seal her away.

Hell was unleashed upon both worlds. The wizards were helplessly slaughtered, and the Muggles were standing on the sidelines, watching the flashes appear from the sky once a Magic Pinnacle was destroyed. They had no idea their own people were killing for equality. All they knew was a strange phenomenon flashing around the world.

* * *

The doors opened and Xander and his friends saw that it was Anna. She was distressed and not in the mood. She saw them and was confused to why they stayed outside and not with Yang.

"What did she do to you?" asked Xander.

Anna didn't want to talk about it, which they already anticipated. Anna felt as if nobody wanted her with them, and it was the exact same thing with Elsa. She always created opportunities to spend time with her older sister, but they were always shut down. She now had many chances to talk to her friends about this, but what were friends if they wanted her gone?

"None of your business." Anna tried to walk off, but John blocked her way. "Please, I don't want to talk about it."

"Sure you do," he said. "I know Yang's actions can be harsh, but she didn't mean to hurt you. Yes, she has a different way of seeing things, even if it meant pushing her friends away, but I know for a fact that she does not hate you."

"You weren't there," she sobbed. "I don't care if Yang hates me. It's just what she asked the others. How can they see me the same now."

"They will probably make up fake rumours about you," said Xander. He earned a spiteful glare from John and Lily.

"I wasn't there to see how it went down, so I can't tell the future. If things go really bad, then come to us as I know we don't care about rumours. That's also why you need to talk to people when you feel lonely. It doesn't have to be us. Come on, I think there's some good food at the Great Hall."

Anna was surprised to see this side of John. She spoke to him frequently about Dusk and they had always cooperated with their ideas, but delicate topics like her isolation were never touched. "Thank you, John."

* * *

Another assault was carried out in Egypt, where many people evacuated to avoid danger. There was nothing left but the vast ocean of sand, and conflict was present near the pyramids. It was nighttime there. The glows of Core Magic and spells were brighter than a lighthouse. Only two Magic Pinnacles remained during the battle. One was near, while the other would remain standing in the future.

Losing wasn't an option for the wizards. Tsar Lunar deployed all remaining troops to Egypt so their chance of saving magic was high. Despite his efforts, a flash of yellow had flickered in the night sky. They had to retreat before the Dusk Droids took them out. Toothiana, Mansnoozie, Bunnymund, and North were already at Hogwarts, ready to take down the final wave. Their alternative combat skills were beneficial to destroy the robots. All fighters unable to Apparate out of Egypt were eliminated.

Victory for the Dark Weapon was close. One Magic Pinnacle remained. The wizards had no idea how the Dark Weapon advanced so far with the use of only robots. According to a few sources, a few great beasts were found, but nothing had been confirmed. These three beasts were appropriately called the Landstalker, the Seastalker, and the Skystalker. Their reputations were spine chilling. They were known to bring chaos and utter catastrophe to the world all because their victims were unprepared. Collateral damage on Muggle areas was immediately covered up by the media, explaining that earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes were the cause of destruction.

A final wave was inevitable. The strongest wizards were left. There was an army coming, but time was going too slow. During this time, Ingrid Thorburn and many other witches designed a seal that was able to block out magic. It was ironic that they needed magic to complete the ceremony. Deep within the Forbidden Forest, thirteen witches created stones to seal a Horcrux away. Only then would the evil witch from the Dark Weapon never return.

Hogwarts was never touched by the Dark Weapon. It turned out that the Magic Pinnacle located at the castle was far too complex to destroy. Alvah's second mistake was not considering Pitch Black's alignment. He destroyed the witch, who knew the location of the school. That very pinnacle was created by Tsar Lunar himself, which acted as the centre point of magic. To this day, magic was only present at Hogwarts thanks to that pinnacle, but time was still ticking slowly. An army was due when the adversaries complete their dark weapon.

* * *

Yang sat on one of the beds near Hiccup. She was eager to see how these people would discuss what they saw.

"The stones created by the witches were the same ones we found." Hiccup said.

"It appears so, but how did the seal break?" asked Jack.

"Fate," said Merida. "The moment Hiccup and I got to the Callanish Stones, the seal broke."

"I know that, but how?" Jack pushed on.

"Were you not listening?! I said fate!"

"Fate?" They heard Yang laughing and shaking her head. "That's stupid. Why would you believe in fate? Not only is it an excuse to avoid blame, but it also means your very presence is like a curse."

"Fate is permanent. Magic isn't. Those lights you showed us are what controls magic. Without them, magic will disappear. Don't you realise that the seal was going to break eventually? The only way to defeat the hag is to destroy the Horcrux, which is where the Callanish Stones is."

"Some of the people involved in Year X were professors," added Jack. "Is that how old they are?"

"Aye. Thorburn, the Divinations professor is over a hundred years old. It's different for some professors including the Head of Houses. I heard from my mum that they're immortal, so they live until time itself ends. That doesn't mean they won't die; they just won't age anymore."

"That's something I've been trying to figure out," said Hiccup. He was always fascinated with what magic was able to achieve. Gobber wasn't immortal. He wasn't even capable of casting magic, but Gothi was one, and she looked to be over a hundred. Hiccup then realised that Gothi was one of the thirteen witches that sealed the evil witch away. He wondered why she never told them. That woman never spoke a single word in Hiccup's life, but she was able to reiterate her thoughts by writing on the ground with her magical staff.

"Anna told me a rumour. The professors are presumably dead. They have to die to reach that phase of becoming immortal. That's why they don't age," said Rapunzel, remembering that Anna left because nobody supported her. She then decided to leave the hospital wing now that the vision was over to look for her friend. She had to make it up for Anna.

"Okay, aside from all the theories," said Yang, "a spell can be broken with a counter-spell, so that means someone followed us and broke the seal when we arrived."

"But who'd do that? Who'd want to trap themselves with us? What's the main goal?" asked Hiccup.

"The traitor's main goal is to find information. Xander memorised a fair bit of the book of Year X last year, and he remembers that it wasn't just the witch's Horcrux that was sealed in the temple."

"Horcrux?" questioned Jack.

"Dark Magic, Jack. Owning a Horcrux means you get to revive yourself after you die, but to make one, you need to kill someone. It's not meant to be taught to anyone, but I guess me knowing was from the perks of being a princess."

"So what kind of objects are we talking about?" asked Hiccup.

"Information. They should be around a hundred-years-old, so maybe it's something useful for the Dark Weapon." Yang answered.

"So why now? Why did Alvah decide to do all this now?" asked Merida.

"It's not Alvah anymore. He stepped down several years ago before I was taken in. The new leader's name is Zigor, who was second in charge. He accelerated the plans and now he wants to break into the temple. My guess is to make the ultimate weapon."

"Which is…?"

"The most powerful Dusk Weapon that's able to rip magic apart. Once he acquires this weapon, he'll use it at Hogwarts to destroy the Magic Pinnacle."

"You mean there's one in this castle?!" exclaimed Jack.

"Of course that's what she means. Why do you think magic works best at Hogwarts?" said Merida. "So what happens to the evil witch? What's her goal?"

"My guess: She wants to fulfil her most recent goal before she died. She wants to destroy the Magic Pinnacle at Hogwarts, even if that means to wipe out the entire school," said Hiccup.

* * *

Surely the others were going to tell Rapunzel what she missed. The good news was Anna being fine after leaving the hospital wing. She was found in the Great Hall with John's group, almost ready to head to the dungeons. Xander didn't talk much, but he asked if she wanted to stay with them for a while. Lily was awfully quiet too, but she ended up talking more than Xander after a while. They went to the dungeons together where John's group initially stayed.

It was only John and Anna talking about her Dusk Weapon. They were apparently going to build one together. If John built one himself, there was nothing going to stop the two minds combined.

"Rapunzel!" called a voice from the doorway. Rapunzel turned and saw her mother, watching her with delight. "Oh thank goodness! I was looking everywhere for you. Are you hurt?"

"No, Mother. How did you find me?"

"Oh, I just asked the school matron where you were. She told me you were here." Gothel patted her daughter's hair, gently stroking it as if she was petting a cat.

Rapunzel saw the lie and so did the others. Xander and Lily were already suspicious, and it only took a mere few seconds for Anna and John to share the same expression.

Rapunzel turned to her mother, afraid yet hoping she'd get answers. "Mother… We don't have a matron at Hogwarts. The nurse is a man called Pierce."

Gothel slowly released Rapunzel. She had remembered that name. It belonged to the man who sided with Tooth. "Oh, of course! It must have flown out of my mind. But in all seriousness, Rapunzel, that man is not interested in helping children. He's always been so eager to work in the higher ranks."

"Really, Mother?" asked Rapunzel in an attempt to seem interested. "So why were you looking for me?"

"A mother always has to worry about their sweet little pet. Tell me, Rapunzel, if you really want to leave this place, then you just say the word and we'll be off on our way."

"B—but, nobody can leave this curse…"

"Except for me because I know how to Apparate out of here." Gothel had just leant in to whisper that to Rapunzel. It was completely abnormal to the rest. Rapunzel knew that accepting her mother's offer meant she had to abandon her friends.

"Can't you Apparate everyone out of—" A hand stung Rapunzel's cheek and brought the Ravenclaw on the ground. The second years were alarmed with the scene. Rapunzel didn't cry. She had felt much worse back at the cottage.

"Rapunzel, I'm still waiting for an answer!" Gothel hissed.

Rapunzel then realised what was going on. Her mother had no intentions to help everyone. She only wanted Rapunzel for a selfish reason she couldn't pinpoint. Anna helped her up Rapunzel faced her mother.

"First, answer this question. How did you find me?"

Gothel didn't answer. She was hesitating for a few seconds. "Rapunzel, really, why are you asking such silly—"

"Answer me!" yelled Rapunzel. The others were waiting too.

"I'm going to let you off on that one, but remember who you're talking to, Rapunzel!"

"Fine, then I won't go with you then." Gothel was furious with her daughter's reply. "You spoke with the evil witch, didn't you? You asked me if I believed in the wisps, and I told you about Merida. You've been following her everywhere so you could get to the Callanish Stones… but why?"

"To release the evil witch from the seal," said a voice behind Gothel. It was Merida, who went to look for Rapunzel and Anna. She aimed her wand at Gothel.

"How did you know where to find us?" questioned Gothel. She knew for sure they wouldn't have been able to find her or Rapunzel using Yang's Semblance.

"Remember who you're talking to," stated Merida.

"Your status doesn't scare me, child." Gothel raised her wand at Merida. It was a pale colour, unlike most wands. This was bad. If a fight sparked, the students in the room would get injured.

"Expelliarmus," a spark of redness shot from Gothel's wand, landing on Merida's. The wand flew from her hand and landed on the floor.

She then turned to Rapunzel and saw a green flare on her left. It was stronger than last year, but Gothel managed to Disapparate from Xander's Core Magic. Gothel appeared in the middle of the room and saw frightened children as well as the Slytherin holding his wand at her.

"Lily, Jonathan, leave." Xander ordered. They agreed and left without any arguments. Gothel ignored them as none of them were the target. All Gothel had to do now was to make contact with Rapunzel to leave whether she liked it or not.

"I'm not leaving," said Merida.

"You are still injured," replied Xander. "But if you insist."

"Merida, please… go," pleaded Rapunzel. "I don't want you getting hurt again."

"I said I'm not leaving!" Merida found her wand as John and Lily were out of site.

"You can leave anytime, Merida, Anna. She only wants her daughter," said Xander. "Whatever the cost, do not go near her, Rapunzel."

"She's my mother. I have to face her."


	12. The White Death

This was the first time in a while Xander exerted all his effort in a duel. Gothel was experienced. She knew all the spells that he knew. The battle carried in the dark tunnels of the dungeons. Even with Anna and Merida's help, Gothel was able to fend for herself. Their first goal was to keep Rapunzel safe. They could've let her escape with the others but Gothel could've Apparated with Rapunzel.

"He was right. He always warned me how strong you were," taunted Gothel.

"Zigor?" questioned Xander as he fired a jet of purple fumes. It surrounded Gothel and began choking the woman until the smoke twisted in the other direction and disappeared from Gothel.

"Darkcharm!" she corrected. Before Gothel fired a spell, Anna and Merida tried to restrain her with the Freezing Charm. Gothel took care of the two girls easily. Rapunzel did nothing but stand behind Xander.

Gothel turned and saw Xander's eyes glowing green. She didn't react and waited for him to hit her with his best shot.

The Core Magic erupted with tremendous force from Xander's wand, but Gothel was somehow blocking it. She began cackling. While Xander continuously streamed the Core Magic against her, she took a few steps closer to him.

"Fool. Did you really think Zigor would forget that you'd use Core Magic?" Gothel eyed the boy menacingly and Xander saw the yellow glow in her eyes. "Every wizard in the Dark Weapon have learnt your spell. I guess we should thank you."

The clash of green and yellow Core Magic was dangerous. The light was getting stronger, but Xander knew if he stopped, all of the Core Magic would backfire on not only him, but Rapunzel too.

But if he kept it going, the result would be catastrophic. It was better now than later.

"Run," ordered Xander. Rapunzel didn't want to, but if she wasn't going to listen to him, something was going to go wrong.

"I want to help!" insisted Rapunzel.

"You will only get hurt! Get Merida and Anna out of here. I will keep this up until you are safe," said Xander. Rapunzel helped her friends up and left after the screech of the Core Magic became unbearable. They weren't slow during their escape, but Anna was still affected by Gothel's spell.

Xander stopped his Core Magic, and a gigantic explosion of Core Magic erupted through the corridors like a volcano. The three girls escaped just in time while the explosion of lime Core Magic chased them. They were fortunate to have reached the stairs where Lily and John were. The Core Magic was contained when it came up the stairs, shooting vertically above the students. They were lucky that no students were in the dungeons. The Slytherins were safe in their common rooms; the entrance was always sealed. But they still had to see the aftermath of the duel.

"Xander!" called John. They got back to the Potions classroom and found him limp on the ground.

"He's alive," said Merida after seeing him breathe.

"And conscious," said Xander. They were shocked. "Core Magic does not kill. It weakens."

* * *

Xander successfully recovered, but if Gothel was right about their enemies knowing the skills of casting Core Magic, the entire school would be at a disadvantage.

Hiccup and Merida spent the night in the hospital wing with Xander. Unusually, they actually got along—but only for a short while before Xander wished for them to leave.

Something stirred around in the school the following weeks later. Professors searched around the entire school. Passages that students never knew existed were opened. Classrooms were scouted. Clues were being sought after. But nothing could show where Gothel was hiding. If nobody could escape the mist, then there was a high chance Gothel was within the school grounds.

A horrible aura was scattered around the school. They could all sense it like a virus, infecting the students one by one and growing stronger. Merida was trying to keep things together, but even the professors weren't their usual selves.

It was now Halloween, but nothing was scarier than the curse that weakened the spirit. No attacks had happened within those few weeks. Quidditch was a rarely used word, and people were beginning to get fed up with each other. Most should've known that in situations like these brought out everyone's true character.

After the Halloween feast, Anna, Rapunzel, Merida, and Heather were in the hospital wing. Mavis the vampire had had sleepless days. Apparently, there were several accounts of horrible dreams happening to Mavis and she wanted them to stop. This was why she ended up at the hospital wing because Pierce placed her on a few medications to try solving this 'daymare' problem.

"—so once you say her name three times, Bloody Mary will appear in the mirror and scratch your eyes out!"

"That's a nice story!" said Merida sarcastically. "Where'd you hear that one, Mavis?"

"Believe me, I've heard scarier ones. Since you're all little children, I'll tell you guys the less scarier ones."

"So it doesn't scare you in any way?" asked Heather.

"It used to scare me until I tried it."

"And it didn't work?"

"Have you seen me, Rapunzel? Vampire over here."

"Is it a good idea to tell ghost stories before we head off to bed?" Anna questioned. She was the most frightened among the five second year students.

"You're not scared are you, Anna?"

"No!" she interjected. "Don't you think it's a bad idea considering the situation the school is in? Isn't it true that the Black Sand infecting the creatures have a reputation of being stronger around fear?"

"No? Where'd you hear that one?" asked Merida.

"It's been a myth a lot of people knew. Dreamsand gives the good ones, while the Black Sand does the opposite."

"I think it's fine. We're telling ghost stories to get our minds off of the monsters lurking around the school. Besides, it's Halloween." Mavis said.

"Speaking of ghosts, you guys know that they're real, right? They lurked around the corridors of Hogwarts." The girls turned to Heather.

"Really now? How come we haven't seen any then?" Merida was hoping Heather was joking.

"I know nobody has seen one in a long time. As stories explain, once something is forgotten about, it finally disappears forever. So my best guess is that a lot of people are beginning to not believe in ghosts, including the Muggles."

"Could you blame them? The Muggle world have been learning a lot without magic," said Merida. "Oh, and can I say my story? I'm still waiting for my turn."

"If it's about Mor'du, then we'll pass." Heather remarked.

"It's not, believe me. This one is popular here in Scotland. I heard about it before I moved to London."

"Okay then, let's hear it—even though there's a high chance I've heard of it," said Mavis.

Merida readjusted her position and brought the candle closer to her. There was little time left before they had to go back to their common rooms.

"This is a story about the White Death. She was a girl who lived in Scotland many years ago. Sure she lived a normal life and had a family, but there was a point where she wanted to erase herself from existence. So in the end, she killed herself. People thought that was the end of her, but they were wrong."

The heavy wind was causing the glass windows to vibrate, startling the girls in the dim light.

"Her family were first to die because they knew her best. Eventually, this story became popular around the world, even spreading to different continents. Whoever learnt about the story, would end up dead the next day. Here's how it works. Once someone hears knocking on their door, she's there, waiting for you to open it. There's a different amount of knocks you'll hear when she arrives. If she knocks once then she's going to skin you alive. Two times means she'll pull your hair out. Three times and she will pull your bones out. Four times it's the heart. Five times is all your individual teeth. Six are for your eyes. And seven is the worst. The White Death will also take your soul and torture you in the afterlife. So I'm sorry for telling you all this because she will come after you too."

The audience remained silent, as most of them felt a chill run down their spines.

"Nice one, Merida. If I recall, you knew this story long ago. But good effort. I too remember a similar story about a woman instead of a girl," said Mavis.

The room was silent as all that was heard were the snores of a patient from across the room. Even Pascal was seen shivering from under Rapunzel's hair resting on her shoulders. Anna was the palest. She was never good at dealing with her fears. She hoped the others felt the same way, so she wouldn't feel left out.

Knocks were coming from the door, making some of the girls jump from their spot. Pierce was waiting for them to leave so he could close the hospital wing to let people sleep peacefully. The girls were going to have a difficult time sleeping with the sense of paranoia lingering around them.

* * *

It was definitely going to be a long night for Anna. She didn't even need to ask herself if she was going to be all right. She didn't feel like sleeping. A nightmare was waiting for her when her eyes felt heavy. She had to fight it. She wanted to stay awake awhile, but her friends were making her think otherwise.

Rapunzel was peacefully asleep. She appeared pleasant, which was what Anna wanted to feel if it weren't for that stupid story Merida had to share. What if it was real? Then the White Death was sure to come for Anna. Maybe not in real life, but in her dreams.

Mavis was also asleep in the dormitory. During the curse, exploring the castle during nighttime was the worst decision possible. She had to change her routine too. Classes were normal because most were indoors, and Flying was no longer a class for the second years. It was only Herbology, where she had to take an alternate route underground as instructed by Moonhaven.

Anna left her bed and examined the view outside of Ravenclaw Tower. It was surely the same thing for Gryffindors. She was beginning to imagine what kept the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs entertained without a view of the landscape.

The was movement from the courtyards nearby. It was the same place last year where Anna dropped the Green Dusk Crystal before Flynn fell from above while being tangled in ropes. Anna focussed on the movement and saw that it was someone in a pure white dress. It didn't remind her of anyone she knew, so she had to be worried.

The woman was doing something odd. She was carrying unidentified objects with the Levitation Charm. These objects were large, around the size of rolled up blankets. She'd know because of all the maids carrying the rugs and quilts around Arendelle. The woman in white transported all the cylindrical objects away towards the forest and she was about to follow until she made a sudden pause.

Anna's heart stopped. She waited to see what the woman did next. It could've been Gothel, who hadn't been seen for weeks. The professors went back into the substituting phase like last year. For the first lesson of the week, they had Professor Ombric, the Arithmancy professor. For the double on Tuesdays, Professor Thorburn would take over. It was now up to those two professors to work together and make sure they taught the students correctly, otherwise, the students would fail the exams.

The woman in white then turned towards Ravenclaw Tower and stared directly back at Anna. Anna didn't know what to do. If she moved, it would've given away her presence if the woman didn't notice her. If she remained still and the woman knew Anna was there, the woman would've been studying Anna's face and features. She then smiled at Anna and Anna started shaking uncontrollably.

It began. The woman darted towards the door that led to the castle. Anna had to be quick and think of what to do. There was no way that woman knew how to enter the tower unless she knew another way in. Anna tried waking up Rapunzel and Mavis, but none of them was noticing Anna.

"Rapunzel! Mavis!" She tried harder, but despite all her efforts, they never woke up. It was like the were in a deep sleep.

Anna ran down the stairs to reach the common rooms before the woman in white got to her. She wanted to find someone. Anyone. She wanted to find Elsa, who could've been patrolling the school since she and her friends became prefects. It wasn't like Anna knew when Elsa patrolled the school. They never got into that conversation. They never got into any conversations.

Before Anna got the common room, the doors that prevented intruders opened. The laughter of a woman was then heard, giving the hint that Anna had to run. She ran back up the stairs and didn't look back. The identity of this woman was the biggest mystery. It could've been Gothel, but something about the laughter was unlike Gothel. It could've been the evil witch her friends have constantly mentioned.

Anna slammed the door to her dormitory shut and saw that Rapunzel and Mavis weren't there anymore. What was happening? It was not possible for Rapunzel and Mavis to be gone. Anna now felt worse that she was alone. This had to be a nightmare, but it all felt so real. She just wanted it to end. Anna hid under the sheets of her bed and tried to remain silent, hoping the nightmare ended.

Knocking was heard on the wooden door. Anna wasn't going to open it. She was sure there were no locks on it either, so the knocking was to torment Anna. It was to tell her that she had been found and there was no point concealing herself. Her breathing was out of control and her tears were being soaked into the sheets.

The door creaked open, and Anna heard a mysterious force move around the room. She peeked through the blanket and saw nothing unusual. She was beginning to relax a little, feeling as if the nightmare was ending, but Rapunzel and Mavis were still gone. She turned to her left and saw a face staring back at her from beside the bed. The face was blissful, absolutely pleased for no apparent reason. Anna screamed the loudest she ever could and with all her might, she sprang out of her bed to make a run for it.

"Elsa! Anyone!"

* * *

That face was forever sketched many times in Anna's head. The eyes were bright yellow, piercing into her own. There were black veins too, and her hair was perfectly flowing. But the horrifying picture of that face was the expression. It was uncomfortably happy. There was no chance she was going to be able to sleep again. She was desperate and wanted it to stop. She was eager to do anything to stop the madness.

"Elsa!" Her sister was always meant to be there for her. Anna began feeling isolated, even with a spectre after her. The hallways were empty, and nobody was there to help her.

Someone was on the other end of the lit hallway. They were waiting for Anna, but she remained cautious. All her suspicions were correct when the figure started contorting their body while laughing. It then ran towards Anna and one by one, the torches died out. Slowly, the darkness was chasing her, and once she entered the void, the ghost was going to take her.

She ran away from the darkness and didn't look back. The oblivion was what she had to avoid.

"Elsa!" Anna made it to the kitchens. Maybe some elves were still there, preparing a meal for the morning. She didn't care if it wasn't Elsa. She hated being like this. She was helpless and alone.

"I'm going to kill you," the voice chanted. Anna gave up on running. The kitchens were somewhat pleasant to be around. She couldn't explain how.

Knocking was then heard, which was constant. She remembered the story Merida said. It was three times she heard the knock in the dormitory. There was another three in the kitchens.

"You know what the seventh means?" A giggle was heard.

Anna blocked her ears, denying everything that was happening. The was no ghost. There was no White Death. There was only loneliness. She closed her eyes and accepted whatever was coming for her.

The seventh knock was heard even with Anna's ears blocked. A sudden paused followed the knock, before a hand landed on her shoulders and she gave off a loud cry, falling onto the floor and holding her knees towards herself. She scurried backwards until the wall stopped her. She didn't want to see the ghost. Her last image had to be something she cherished. She began picturing the times she had fun with her friends last year and also the moments with her sister before their relationship changed.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" asked a new voice. Anna was both relieved to hear something other than the old hag's voice.

She wiped off the tears that blinded her from her surroundings. She could make out a figure coming closer to her, but it wasn't wearing the blinding white dress. He was wearing pyjamas, and something about the boy revealed he was from Hufflepuff. It was Kristoff.

"Kristoff?" The girl asked cautiously. She was hoping this wasn't a trick by the White Death. Slowly, the kitchen was becoming clearer with the ambient light illuminating the area with a warm glow. "She's coming," warned Anna.

"She? There's no one coming. All I saw was a sleepwalking girl. So was it a bad dream?" asked Kristoff. She didn't answer because she was still processing all the events that just happened. Was this really a dream? It all felt so real.

Kristoff slowly approached the Ravenclaw, but she was becoming extremely wary. He had experienced nightmares before, but none that left him a catatonic state like this. "It's okay. Tell me what you saw."

He ignored her silence and went through the basket of vegetables on the table. He took out a bunch of carrots and finally took a seat next to Anna. "You can tell me later then."

"Did you have a nightmare?" asked Anna. "You're up too."

"Well, the flaws of being in a house other than Hufflepuff is you never get to have the good stuff in the kitchen. Our dormitories are right next to it, so there's really nothing wrong with being here considering it's practically part of our common room."

They've never got the chance to know each other. They've had those few moments last year, but none of their previous conversations lasted long.

"Want one?" Kristoff offered. Anna refused as he was holding out a carrot for her.

"Why carrots?" asked Anna. Normally, children had a strong distasteful relationship towards vegetables. They were tasteless, tough, and hard to eat unless they were paired with better food. Right beside her was a child eating carrots alone.

"Carrots are the best. I've only started to like them when I feed Sven, my reindeer."

"You have a reindeer? That's right, you're from Arendelle too." She remembered seeing him around the Floo powder stations at King's Cross. "You're with the ice harvesters?"

"Yeah. I stick with them to earn a few Sickles."

"That's all you get? Sickles?" If it weren't for the ice harvesters, Arendelle Corp would've had little to no Blue Dusk Crystals. It was a shame her family owned most of the credit. If it was up to Anna, she would've repaid the ice harvesters a lot more than a few Sickles. Maybe they were paid a lot, and the harvesters decided to give only a small portion for Kristoff. After all, he was only a child.

"Sickles are only for food—carrots mainly, since both me and Sven can eat them." He took another bite from the carrot and Anna was feeling at peace with hearing his stories at Arendelle. She wanted to explore more of the kingdom now. Probably paying a visit to Kristoff was something she had to consider too.

* * *

Anna made her way back to Ravenclaw Tower with Kristoff. He wanted to keep her company after seeing how she reacted after snapping out of her nightmare. He wanted to know what caused so much fear in her eyes. It was going to keep him curious until she tells him what she experienced.

They made it to the entrance to the Ravenclaw common rooms and had to separate.

"So… Hope there are no nightmares and… good night?" Kristoff said awkwardly. Anna laughed and wished the same for him. She watched her new friend leave down the spiral stairs. The rest was now up to Anna. She had to go on without fearing anymore.

"It only exists when there's too much. When it exists, man will be blind towards the world. With none of it, man is worthless. With too much of it, the rest become worthless to man. It is not money. It is not a memory. It is a curse mankind will forever seek out." It was the eagle knocker, which required the correct answer in order for it to open. It was the main test to prove the student was a Ravenclaw.

"Hubris," answered Anna. The door opened. Anna then thought about those who never figured out the answer. There were times when John Wan had to wait by the door for a Ravenclaw to open it for him. It was a pity the passwords always changed.

Anna's dormitory was back to normal. Rapunzel and Mavis were in their beds, still motionless. She felt something in her pocket. Anna reached in and found an Orange Dusk Crystal in her hand. It was strange. She couldn't recall any moments when she needed it. An Orange Dusk Crystal was dangerous like all Dusk Crystals if handled poorly. Dropping one of these could've potentially caused minor tremors and destroyed structures. The kitchen would have caved in if she dropped it and was never woken up by Kristoff.

Anna got back into her bed after packing the crystal away and remembered the face that stared back at her. She had to ignore it. She remembered Kristoff's words and used this time to value her new friendship, which then led her to a peaceful slumber.

Meanwhile, just at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, a loud shriek was released. Little did the people in the castle know that there was a greater threat than Gothel.

Black particles escaped the forest, travelling around the castle to find any openings. The Black Sand was unplanned. They were created out of pure rage and aggression. If one had to suffer, then the rest had to as well.

Throughout the night, screams had woken up the professors, and many students began experiencing the worst nightmares in ways they couldn't possibly imagine. There were a few hours left for the sun to rise, but waiting for the day to begin was a bad idea. The professors couldn't ignore the desperate screams from helpless students.


	13. Nightmare's Aftermath

Merida sat on her table for breakfast and noticed something strange. Usually, Jack and Hiccup were the first ones waiting for her and Rapunzel. Perhaps they were affected by the nightmares too.

It was in the middle of the night when Merida was woken up by the screams of the other Slytherins in her dorm. She thought it was a coincidence all three girls in her room were shaken up by the same thing.

There were a few students in the Great Hall. Some were just as confused as Merida, and some were seeking comfort. This must have been another attack by the evil witch.

The only other Slytherin on her table was Xander, which struck Merida as oddly strange. Considering his affiliation with the Dark Weapon, he was unaffected by nightmares, which made him as suspicious as Gothel. She could see Xander averting his eyes from something in particular. Behind her towards her left, she could see Yang comforting Lily, as she was affected by the nightmare. Merida then wondered if it was her job to find Rapunzel, Jack, and Hiccup.

"Merida," called Jack. He took a seat with Merida and they discussed the previous night. Jack was not affected by the nightmares and nor was Hiccup. But from what they've heard, Rapunzel was hit hard by the nightmare, refusing to leave her bed.

"So is she fine?"

"She needs time," replied Elsa. The two turned and saw Elsa taking a seat in front of them. "I guess you two were the lucky ones."

"You didn't get one?" asked Jack.

Elsa shook her head. She was glad to not experience her worst nightmares. It was unfortunate that Anna had one, but for some reason, they were quite minor compared to the others. Anna had told them about a ghost chasing her and that nobody was there in her dream. Anna felt lonely and Elsa felt guilty about it even though there was nothing she could do.

"So you spoke to her?" asked Merida.

"Not exactly. Tooth told me what happened. Anna told Tooth that she was sleep-walking, which nobody else did that night." Elsa frowned, her hands clenching into a fist. "She doesn't even sleep walk!"

"Where's she now?" they asked.

"In the common room, being there for her friends." Elsa stopped and saw Anna coming from the entrance. She was relieved that her little sister made it through the night.

"Elsa!" Anna ran to her sister and embraced her. This Elsa was there unlike the one in her nightmare. Anna went into a sudden realisation and pushed herself off Elsa. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking—Jack! Merida! You two weren't affected?"

"Guess not," said Merida, noticing Elsa leaving to another table. "Do you know how the nightmare was caused?"

"At the moment no. Most are speculating that it's related to the curse. The caster's intention of creating the nightmares is still unknown."

"Caster?" questioned Merida.

"Word spread that this curse was caused by some evil caster from the Dark Weapon. While many of us don't believe that the Dark Weapon are back, there's no better explanation. I don't suppose the two of you know about it? You were one of the few that owned up when the crows attacked."

"We've been told to not tell anyone," said Jack.

Professor Lunar stood up on the podium and was ready to speak.

"Attention everyone. I understand that many of you are shaken up, but I'd appreciate your cooperation and attention for just this moment please." He waited for the silence to begin as he scanned the hall. "Could all students relocate themselves to their designated houses."

Merida remained seated, while Jack, Anna, and Elsa left the Slytherin table. She saw Hiccup along with his Hufflepuff friends enter the hall. Once again, there was Xander on her table, along with Dagur and Flynn. Merida knew just by looking at Flynn that he had one of the nightmares. His face was lacking his usual upbeat spirit.

When all students made it to their tables, there was a strange pattern. There were very little Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, and Slytherins. But the Hufflepuff table was completely filled. They had not idea how that happened. It was probably what the Headmaster was going to address next.

"When the time comes, all missing students will return from their dormitories and I expect your welcoming faces to light up their day. Currently, Professor Mansnoozie is treating these students and soon, he will distribute Dreamsand to all non-Hufflepuff students. As you can see, none of the Hufflepuffs were affected by the nightmares because of Mansnoozie's Dreamsand scattered around the kitchens and the Hufflepuff common room. All students must have a sufficient amount of Dreamsand under all circumstances. We believe the cause of the nightmares has come from Black Sand, all released by the mist. I can assure everyone that you'll no longer be in harm as long as you hold Dreamsand with you."

Merida had used the Dreamsand last year to sleep better. She hadn't run into that situation this year, and she didn't feel the need to have any more Dreamsand considering she was unaffected by the evil witch's Black Sand. It was surprising how far the rumours of the curse had reached. They were close about the caster, but little did they know that it was a powerful witch from Year X.

She remembered when last year she wanted to make more Dreamsand after she had run out. She looked through the books in the library, but none of them had provided a straightforward answer. Since it was something initially created by Mansnoozie, the book she was looking for was most likely in the Restricted Section, along with North's book that had the Snow Charm. Her efforts were useless in the end. She had asked Professor Mansnoozie the method of creating Dreamsand, but it had turned out that it was a Semblance, which she had forgotten about. If she didn't have the Semblance, there was nothing she could do.

Breakfast remained the same and Headmaster Lunar cancelled class for the day. There was no point teaching a group of students who weren't able to absorb any information in their current status.

* * *

The fresh air had calmed the souls of the students. Flynn rested himself against the heavy slope of the hills in the Hogwarts grounds. The view beyond him was quite dreadful to be near. Adding that to the risk of an attack commencing, many students now avoided the mist.

It was like a whole new world in the forest. The grey smoke was like a venomous fog that killed anyone who entered it. How were the professors going to deal with it exactly?

"Hey, Flynn!" Called Astrid. She was alone and took a spot next to him. "No nightmares?"

"Actually, I had one, but I'm better than most," he admitted. "You?"

"Strangely no. I've had nightmares in the past, but somehow I didn't get any from the curse."

"And your friends?" His eyes remained unblinking and he silently guessed her answer.

"All but Snotlout had them. He should be out after he gets the Dreamsand from Mansnoozie."

"Is that so? At least it's not like Bryan. I hear he's still wetting himself as we speak."

"Is that the Ravenclaw or the Slytherin?" asked Astrid.

"Slytherin of course."

The two watched as a group of older students headed down a path that led to Hogsmeade. There was no way they could get there, even if they kept their eyes on the path. The mist did whatever it took to keep then from leaving.

"It's next year that we're able to go to Hogsmeade, right?" Astrid nodded.

"We can't go anytime we want. Gobber told me that only on specific weekends, can a student head to that area. Imagine what it would've been like though. Buying gifts for Christmas would be a lot easier."

"There's no doubt about that. Anyway, you sounded like you were expecting to have a nightmare. What's that about?" asked Flynn.

Astrid made a short pause to decide whether or not she wanted to share this with him. "Back at Berk, there are raids that occurred frequently. Like rain, it was unexpected and dangerous. Well when I was little, the rain was like a hurricane. There were too many dragons sent by the Outcast Tribe. And I was too young to do anything about it."

"So which attack became memorable for you to have nightmares of it?"

"The Hofferson family were strong and well known for their bravery and courage. It was during one of those nights when another unexpected raid happened. There was only one dragon, unlike the others. It glowed blue and had a strange screech like a Whispering Death."

"I have no idea what those are."

"You don't need to. All that's important is that this dragon killed my uncle. It not only made our village seem vulnerable, but it also damaged the Hoffersons' reputation! This has happened before that day too. During Year X, my great grandfather was also killed by the same thing. Toothiana told me last year and I had no idea it was from the same dragon."

A few minutes passed and Snotlout joined the second years. They didn't know about the curse as much as Merida and her friends, but that didn't stop them from learning what they knew. According to Jack, the wisps led his friends to the Callanish Stones, where the curse began. It was apparently the same place where they found Jack's sister too. Astrid and her friends had an encounter with the wisps last year on their first day. They weren't aware of the spirit's intentions, so they didn't dare to enter the forest. The question was why them? Why did the wisp choose them last year? There were no other instances where the wisp appeared before them.

"Who cares? That blue light was always bad news. The first time was with us, but we avoided it. And now look where we are. We're still unharmed, right? When Hiccup and his friends followed it, they were attacked by a Dusk Droid. The second time brought them to the curse, which from what I've heard, nearly killed them and the entire school. I'm telling you. We did the right thing avoiding it."

"Snotlout, if the wisp appeared before you to show you the way out of the school, would you follow it?" asked Astrid.

"I'm just saying. It's not like we can understand them." Snotlout was glad Flynn wasn't paying attention. Only Astrid was conversing with Snotlout at that time. "What about you, Flynn?"

Flynn didn't answer and pointed passed them. They turned and saw what he was looking at beyond the trees. "Does that blue light mean it's a wisp?" He asked.

* * *

"Rapunzel not back yet?" asked Jack as he sat back to where he was before getting moved to Gryffindor table. Hiccup had just left, telling them that he had to see his friends from Hufflepuff. They apparently needed his help.

"Guess not. Let's just give her some time alone." Merida suggested with a blank face. She had nothing to do now that classes were cancelled. It was the same for all weekends but now was meant to be busy—for Jack at least because his schedules on Mondays were tedious.

"So that thing about the witch creating the nightmares. Why? Nobody got hurt."

"Maybe not physically, but in their head hurts the most. I think she wanted to create more fear. That'll make her job easier to kill us. We're better off not ourselves to her."

"And with more fear brings more Black Sand and nightmares." Jack added.

"That's right," said Merida. "But I've been thinking about the witch. What if she's not real? Don't you think Rapunzel's mother could be the one creating the Black Sand?"

"I… don't know if Rapunzel's mum is capable of being that evil."

Some commotion began in the middle of the hall. The two saw Dagur standing up on top of the tables and talking to everyone. Merida searched but saw no signs of a professor, which was horribly inconvenient. Who was going to deal with Dagur? Xander had left after hearing Professor Lunar's speech. The very least Merida and Jack could do was to listen to see what the hassle was about.

"We all know that the ones who had nightmares are the weak ones! Everyone here is just as weak for taking this!" Dagur held a pouch of the Dreamsand. He opened and poured the contents as it sprinkled all over the seat below him. "Nightmares go for the weak. And the weak always need help. If you're strong, you'd do the same to show the professors we don't need their help!"

"What are you doing?" called Jack. They could see the grimacing face being formed on Dagur's face, as he searched the room for a particular Slytherin. He hopped off the table and the students backed away with Jack and Dagur in the middle. It was all repeating again unless Xander was never coming.

"Overland, I'm assuming you're one of the weak?"

"What you're doing is stupid. Are you saying you can take care of yourself in this curse without the professors? Nobody's even forcing you to use the Dreamsand so stop making a big deal about it."

"You know that the golden sand does nothing! It's like a parent giving their kid a bedtime story to sleep better… Oh wait, you don't have—"

Jack wasn't going to let Dagur finish. He proceeded to draw his wand and scared the crowd. The circle grew bigger and Merida tried to stop the fight.

"Jack, he isn't worth your—"

"You can say what you want about me, but if you mention my family again, you'll pay." It was going to be an easier fight. Last time Jack had a limited variety of spells he had learnt in the span of a week. There were none of the Stabbington Brothers, so nobody could interfere, not even Xander.

"You threatening me?!" Dagur fired a new spell. Electricity flowed through his wand after an incantation was spoken and it pulsated uncontrollably around the hall, damaging the walls and ceiling. "Don't you threaten me again!"

Jack had to be brave at this point. He could see that the spell Dagur cast was not fully with his side. Something was telling Jack that Dagur made an empty threat, which only he could see. Jack took a step towards Dagur, and with each threat, Jack took another step.

"Stop! I'll kill you!" threatened Dagur. The lightning was becoming more dangerous, even Dagur knew the dangers of keeping this up.

"As you wish." Jack took another step until he was several feet away from Dagur.

The Slytherin broke a sweat, and his hesitation became obvious. Jack had to be careful if the lightning was going to miss and harm another.

"Expelliarmus," he said, and a red spell landed on Dagur's hand, releasing the wand from his grip.

Merida sighed in relief when she saw Jack use that spell. It was the Disarming Charm, used to disarm the opponent, which was the safest way to end a battle.

With Dagur wandless, the lightning ceased. Jack handed Dagurs wand back and then left. Nobody was going to get away with talking about his family like that, and when the time was right, the Dark Weapon will pay for it too.

"Jack look—" Merida couldn't finish when she saw Dagur draw his wand again. He already cast a spell behind Jack's back and the spell was fast. It was the lightning spell used before. Dagur was relentless. The only way to stop this second year was to restrain him or suck out his energy.

As the spell reached Jack after he turned, a flurry of red flames surrounded the boy, creating a veil of fire. It protected Jack from Dagur's spell, but the sound of the flames was familiar. The Sorting ceremony had this noise and also the Core Magic Xander cast. Many people began questioning the Core Magic around Jack. This was a secret no longer.

"You're just like him!" ridiculed Dagur. "You're part of the Dark Weapon!"

"No… It's not that."

"You killed your own family!"

"Shut up!" Jack fired his Core Magic at Dagur with no remorse. The red Core Magic flowed around the hall like last year when Jack was sorted into Gryffindor. The screech was piercing and the flames transformed into a lion, heading towards the Slytherin. He had it coming.

The red light disappeared and Dagur remained motionless on the floor, but he was definitely alive. The only problem now was Jack's Core Magic, which remained covering his body. People began backing away after fearing the flames.

"Jack!" Merida ran towards him was slowly getting pushed back by the flames.

"Merida, stay back. I don't know how to stop it." He knew that the Core Magic was affected by his emotions, but panic grew inside of him.

For an unknown reason, the Core Magic couldn't touch Merida. It was the strangest day they had experienced yet with too many unanswered questions. When Merida got to Jack, the Core Magic stopped completely to their relief.

Jack looked around and saw the faces on everyone. They were all shocked and frightened of him, a familiar view. They were the same expressions seen on Emma when he saved her last year. She was frightened of him, and he spent the rest of the year thinking he was a monster. It was all better when he saw her the next time because she was back to normal. He didn't know how she saw Core Magic and recognised it. There was no chance for that to be possible at Hawthorne. What exactly happened to Emma after the Burgess Sweep?

These people were all so ignorant and oblivious; Jack couldn't blame them. None of them knew he saved their skins twice with Core Magic. If he hadn't destroyed the Dusk Droid—which he had to hide—then somebody could've been hurt badly. The Bludger was also stopped by his Core Magic, and they took it in for inspection. The investigation held by the professors was bound to reach a conclusion.

Jack watched as a few students carried Dagur's body. They weren't sure if taking him to the hospital wing was wise since Core Magic didn't necessarily harm the victim. Jack was still angry, so he left the Great Hall to blow off some steam. Merida followed her friend.

* * *

"What's wrong with her? The Hufflepuff common rooms are protected from Black Sand." Hiccup said while heading near Miriam Funar. She was leaning on a small table in the common room with other Hufflepuffs surrounding her, hoping they could cheer her up.

"She doesn't need a nightmare, Hiccup." Kristoff dragged a chair next to the girl. "Maybe she had a rough day."

The warm yellow glow in the Hufflepuff common room was supposed to be an essence of welcome and happiness, but the sight of the downcast girl inverted the results. The girl looked up with tears streaming down her face and they heard her hoarse voice. "I miss her."

"Don't worry. We'll find her, right, guys?" They nodded in agreement to Macintosh. He was great with influencing a group of people as long as they weren't for foolish motives such as wooing Merida.

"But still. What can we do? Why don't you look for Yang and make her search through the orb?"

"She already considered doing that, Hiccup. It's not easy having Yang do that for random people she hasn't bothered to meet. I was lucky because Xander brought me to her. There was nothing but a mist and screaming in the orb." The students backed away from the girl that answered.

"Tailfire?! What are—How did you get in here?!" questioned Hiccup.

"For starters, Kristine got me in here." She then turned to Kristine and waved politely. "It's graciously warm here."

Hiccup then began processing what Tailfire said about Yang's orb. "Smoke and screaming? That's one clue we have then. So what exactly happened in the forest when you went in?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Tailfire's aura darkened.

"Well like it or not, you'll have to tell in order to know what happened to your friend." Hiccup managed to convince the Slytherin. She made a big sigh and watched Miriam in case she was against sharing with them.

"We weren't in the forest with Elizabeth. Remember that Elizabeth and others left to find a way to escape. Knowing that Miriam was going to follow no matter the odds, Elizabeth left without telling her. She—"

"She left me," said Miriam. "She wanted to leave me and make me suffer for what I did."

"There's no way she left because of that, Miriam. I'm sure she forgives you for whatever you did." Tailfire reassured.

"What did she do?" asked Kristoff.

"I started the rumour of Xander attacking Hiccup, Jack, and the other two in the Forbidden Forest last year. I felt so good about it when it became the main topic in every conversation."

"So what was so bad about that other than the fact you lied about someone?" asked Tailfire.

"Elizabeth knew I made it up, and she kept telling me to tell the truth. I did what she said and went into the Forbidden Forest before the curse began." Miriam was trying to avoid eye contact with everyone.

"How were you in the forest and we never found you? Merida and I were there," said Hiccup.

"I went after the Sorting ceremony this year. I wanted to find clues, but there was nothing. All I remember seeing was Professor Gothel. I didn't say anything. I just ran."

"Did you see what she was doing?" asked Hiccup.

"She was talking with someone. But I promise! I don't know anything else!"

"It's okay, Miriam. You're lucky that rumour never got out of hand."

"But Elizabeth isn't. She knew I was a liar, so she left."

"Why don't we ask Elizabeth herself when we find her?" suggested Hiccup. Miriam calmed down a bit and they left the common room. Anna and Heather were there too, waiting outside and agreeing to help with the search.

Macintosh, MacGuffin, and Dingwall left to a different path, the path that led to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

* * *

"We should go. I don't care if we'll get into trouble. What's the worse they can do? Expel us?" said Flynn.

"You're right. This time, we're gonna follow our fates." Astrid said.

"Why haven't you guys figured that we're walking right into our deaths?" queried Snotlout.

"We're going with or without you, Snotlout. Don't tell me you're scared." Flynn knew the words to convince the Gryffindor. The boy moaned as they followed the patient wisps.

It wasn't Flynn's first time in the forest, so he led the way. Knowing how to move around and over the thick roots and vines, the other two mimicked his actions to catch up. The only obstacle was the mist. They didn't know if they were being watched, but they tried to not think about it.

"Over there." Flynn pointed to the last wisp. It vanished and behind it was a cave. They weren't sure what was in there nor did they want to stick around.

"I'll go first." Astrid took out her wand and conjured the Incendio Charm. The instant flashes of light weren't reassuring for them, but the breeze was. They all knew it was a sign that the cave had another entrance, which was where the wisp wanted to lead them.

"Where do you think it leads?" asked Snotlout.

"Not sure. Judging by where the sun rose, we're heading near Hogsmeade. I could be wrong, but one thing is for sure. This tunnel is our ticket out of here." Astrid pressed on and wandered into the darkness. She used her wand to be able to see if the tunnel had any turns. There was only one diagonal right, where they could see the other side.

"Let's go!" yelled Flynn. They ran through the tunnel but something stopped them. A hooded figure appeared at the end of the tunnel, several metres away from them.

The three drew their wands, ready to fight. Judging by the posture of the figure, it was a woman.

"Gothel," said Astrid. She proceeded to cast the Full Body-Binding Curse, a useful spell to immobilise an opponent. If it worked on Professor Gothel, they'd have proof that they apprehended a villain. "Petrificus Totalus."

Gothel blocked the spell and began charging up an unknown spell to the students. She aimed her wand away from them, which confused them. They now realised what Gothel tried to do.

"Run!" ordered Astrid. The three ran as fast as they could, forgetting that the tunnel had a turn, slowing them down for a few seconds.

They were about to reach the entrance when a large boulder blocked it. They tried their best, but the rock was too heavy. Only the strength of ten trolls was able to lift it. They accepted their fate, as the rock from the other end began collapsing closer to them. That was until the large boulder was moved. MacGuffin had carried the boulder with his own arms, surprising the soon-to-be-buried.

Dingwall and Macintosh were there too, knowing that only MacGuffin was able to do this job.

"How'd you find us?" asked Flynn while rubbing the dirt off his face.

"Wesawyouguysfollowingawillothewispandthoughtitwasagoodideatohelp." MacGuffin answered.

"Why did I have to ask?"

That small delay in the cave would've cost their lives if it weren't for their friends.


	14. Red Flames and White Crystals

The doors to the Potions classroom opened with a distraught boy and the Slytherin girl following. Jack never bothered to knock. Only Xander and John were there, doing whatever they did.

"What brings you here?" asked Xander. "Surely Yang did not do anything to you, did she?"

"Where were you!" yelled Jack. He grabbed Xander by the cloak and threatened to harm him with a spell. History was catching up to them. "Dagur was making a scene at the Great Hall. I was about to get killed by him!"

"But you did not."

"Screw you!" Jack pushed Xander to the ground, watching him get back up. There was no resistance from Xander as if the boy had zero physical strength.

"Yang and I were with the Dark Weapon last year. Our job was to keep you safe." Xander huffed as he was helped up by Merida. John was in the corner watching with a dilemma. He wanted to help, but something told him that Jack's actions were justified. Maybe it was because of his resentment towards Xander last year—even though he wasn't responsible for the destruction of Burgess, he still could've warned Jack.

"I didn't need your help."

"But you do now? Jackso… Jack. If we never stopped the train last year, you would have been taken by the Dark Weapon. Hogwarts was the safest place for everyone. If you had reunited with your family, there was nothing to make you leave for a while. The smoke from the plane was to trap you and to kill everyone. Hawthorne was peaceful, and not many connections were made outside the village. With all of them dead, none would question your disappearance."

"Then what about everyone here? They would've wondered why I was missing."

"Anyone can leave this school. They would have seen your disappearance as an act of not wanting to learn here anymore, which many have done in the past."

"What does the Dark Weapon want with me? Why me?!"

"Your Core Magic. The Dark Weapon have a way of finding Core Magic around the world. I do not know how, but they see yours as a very special kind. Core Magic can mix with other Core Magic only if they are compatible. The current leader, Zigor, wants yours because it's the only one compatible out there."

"They can take it? How?" Jack made it sound urgent. He advanced closer to Xander when there wasn't an answer.

"You want to remove yours? That is ridiculous."

"Jack? Is that why you came here?" asked Merida. Jack's silence gave away the answer.

"Your Core Magic is a gift. Cherish it."

"How!" yelled Jack. It was louder than before, giving Xander a reason to answer.

"Black Dusk. It is an extremely complex material developed by the Dark Weapon."

"Black? I thought Arendelle—"

"Arendelle Corp develops the crystals, yes, but I am sure you remember from Yang's orb that Alvah, the original Dark Weapon leader, sold the formula to them. They used the Black Dusk Crystal to make a weapon, which absorbs Core Magic."

Jack looked at John who was confused. "What?"

Jack advanced to John this time with a more desperate look. "Make it for me. Please."

John didn't want to say no, but he knew for sure that making this so-called weapon was impossible, even for him. Instead of giving an answer, he gave off indescribable words.

"John, sit down," ordered Xander. "You are not doing anything for Jack. I should also mention that removing Core Magic is painful and will most likely kill you."

"So it's been done before, and all of them died?" asked Jack.

Xander nodded. "Zigor has taken Core Magic before." He lowered his head and tried not to think about it too much. "Don't do it, please."

He sounded different at that moment. Was it the desperation in his tone? Jack looked at Merida and she shook her head.

"Fine, I won't. But before I go, I need to tell you something." Xander looked back and was prepared for what Jack was about to say. "I know your intentions aren't bad, but I won't forgive you for what happened last year."

"Jack…" Merida didn't appreciate what she just heard. She saw him leaving and had to follow.

"Wait," said Xander. Jack stopped. "I know I cannot help you with your Core Magic problem, but there is a way to control it."

"I'm listening," said Jack.

"You unlocked your Core Magic accidentally, and it is now happening nonverbally. Just do not hold your wand and try controlling your emotions. It should be easy because only mature people find it easier casting that spell."

"Just like that? It sounds too simple."

"I know by experience," replied Xander. They had to believe what he said because Xander barely had any emotions, which was probably his method of controlling Core Magic.

"Thanks, I guess." Jack left, but Merida remained still. Jack noticed and turned around, seeing that she wanted to say something.

"Xander, something happened when Jack cast the Core Magic. I was the only one that could get close to him." Merida watched as Xander slowly approached her. He reached out towards her neck and grabbed her necklace.

"Where did you get this?" he asked.

"My mum bought it last year for Christmas. It was sold at Diagon Alley for a high price."

"I have a hunch, but I could be wrong. Go see Yang and show her your necklace. Let her use her Divination skills on it."

Merida nodded and left with Jack. They opened the door and found the same orange lizard scurrying away.

"Hey, it's the same lizard," said Jack.

"Do not follow it. I do not want Yang getting riled up about it again," said Xander.

Merida and Jack agreed and continued their exit. That lizard had been seen numerous times already. Even MK and her friends recalled a moment when they saw the lizard last year.

The two finally left, leaving Xander and John alone again. Xander closed the door and the heat proceeded to warm up the room again. Winter was coming in a month and the temperature was getting cold.

"Are you gonna take what he said?" asked John.

"What did he say?"

"You know… about the thing how he won't forgive you. I mean… How are you still calm after that? He doesn't forgive you."

"Neither do I."

* * *

"The wisp led us to the tunnel, and we had no choice but to follow." Astrid answered. She and the other two, Snotlout and Flynn, were being questioned by Professor Lunar after they reported the incident. Of course, the three Hufflepuffs, Macintosh, Dingwall, and MacGuffin, had nothing to do with that event other than helping, so they stayed out of it in case there was punishment involved.

"What you're telling me is hard to believe. Nobody has seen a wisp except for Ms Dunbroch and Mr Haddock. So far it is most likely that the wisp appears to one of them. It's just that they've spent so much time together that nobody knows which one was chosen by the wisp. With your story taking place, it creates more confusion with whom the wisp are guiding."

"But Professor, this isn't the first time the wisp appeared before us. On our first day of classes last year, I went to the stables with others. A blue light like before appeared before us. We were smart enough to ignore it because we had no idea what it was," said the Astrid annoyingly.

"For now, we need to ignore the wisp. Our major problem now is the collapse of our only way out. Professor Toothiana's hummingbirds now have no way of transporting supplies over."

"Hey wait a minute? You mean to tell me that there was an escape, which you knew about?!" yelled Snotlout. "Why didn't you help anyone escape?!"

"I understand your anger at this moment. This tunnel was meant to be kept a secret. There was no way everyone could escape without blowing our cover."

"What are you talking about? If everyone got out to escape, Professor Gothel and the evil caster would not stand a chance," said Snotlout.

"Evil caster? Is that what we're calling her now? Not everyone wants to escape, despite our current situation. Not everyone here has families to welcome home. Some don't even have homes. It's chaos whenever they leave, and no matter what happens, they'll want to stay here. And who do you think has to stay while they're here?"

"The professors," answered Flynn. "So if we escaped to freedom, the rest get trapped. No food supply and no help."

"Correct. At least we've had more than plenty of time to alert the rest of the world our position. Without the breach, we have to ration out food carefully now."

"So what now?" asked Astrid.

"We'll need to decide on an appropriate form of discipline for the three of you. You're not in trouble for exposing the secret of the tunnel. You're getting punished for entering the Dark Forest when the rules specifically stated that under no circumstances are students able to enter the forest."

* * *

The search began, and Jack and Merida had no idea where Yang was going to be. There were many options with where they wanted to start. She was either going to be at the library, the Great Hall, or even the Hufflepuff common room.

"We should start with the Great Hall. If she's headed to the common room, then we'll catch up quicker than if we start at the library. The Great Hall's where I last saw her too," said Merida.

"Good point." Jack led the way and little did they know that the students they ran past were staring at them, wondering where the two were headed. There was a little time that had passed after Jack's encounter with Dagur, but rumours were already created.

Jack saw a Hufflepuff from their year. They haven't spoken together much, but they still acknowledged each other as classmates.

"Kristine!" called Jack. The Hufflepuff made eye contact after heading away from the entrance to the Great Hall. "Kristine, have you seen Yang around?"

Kristine didn't answer. Merida noticed the girl trying to avoid Jack's gaze.

"Is something wrong? You know, if you do have a problem with Jack, we can leave and let you continue on with your boring life."

"Merida, it's fine," added Jack.

The girl did nothing but laugh, confusing the two. "I'm sorry. I was just so confused with everything that's been going around lately!" She calmed herself down a bit before continuing. "You're right about one thing, Merida. People are talking about the two of you already. Jack, people think you're part of the Dark Weapon with Xander, and that you have something to do with the Burgess Sweep."

"Well, that's new." Jack said as he sighed.

"Merida, they say you're the evil caster. You and the others went into the forest when the curse began, so they think you did something. Your ability to stop Jack's Core Magic showed how skilled you were, and it's possible that Xander, Jack, and Yang are all following your orders."

"And what do you think?" asked Merida.

"I don't believe a word. I don't know you or Jack very well, but I know Yang and her friend."

"Lily?" questioned Merida.

"No, John. Last year when the storm hit the Quidditch pitch, I was one of the people stuck in the stands. I was up there with my older brother, supporting his friend on the Hufflepuff team."

"How's this about John?" asked Jack.

"He saved me before the stands fell. I saw what he did. After he saved my me and my brother, it inspired so many people to help. I owe him that much to believe in his judgement. His friends are the good guys, and if you're his friend, then you're good in my book."

"Good for you," said Merida. "So any chance you've seen Yang?"

"Oh right! She was in the Great Hall, but I'm pretty sure she left to the common rooms. You better hurry because she doesn't take her time."

"Thanks," said Jack and he sped past her with Merida to the kitchens.

* * *

"Hey, Macintosh! You find anything?" Hiccup and the others made their way outside to see the others' progress. From what they saw, there was something the three Hufflepuffs had to inform.

"Astrid, Snotlout, and Flynn went into the forest. We followed them and they found a tunnel," answered Macintosh.

"The forest? What were they doing there in the first place?"

"I don't know, Hiccup, but they're at Lunar's office right now. I think they're in trouble."

"Well, of course they're in trouble. The forest is out of bounds," said Anna.

"What was that thing you said about the tunnel?" asked Hiccup.

Macintosh looked back and forth to Dingwall and MacGuffin. "The tunnel was an escape."

The rest were shocked. "Escape?! How do you know for sure?"

"It just was. The tunnel was blocked by Professor Gothel, however. She collapsed the tunnel and planned to crush those three before they got out. Luckily with MacGuffin's Semblance, he removed the heavy boulders and saved the others."

"Without the tunnel, we're trapped forever." Heather said. "Is there a possibility that Elizabeth made it into the tunnels? That would explain why she hasn't come back yet."

"Unlikely," replied Macintosh. "Astrid said that Gothel didn't want anyone escaping, so it's possible she followed people in case they did find an escape."

"And if Elizabeth found that escape, the tunnel would've collapsed long ago?" Macintosh nodded to Hiccup. "But still. Professor Gothel doesn't have more than two eyes to be able to follow every student. What Joel and Tailfire said could also prove it too."

"Joel? The Gryffindor from the fifth year? Why him?" asked Macintosh.

"He was with Elizabeth and Tailfire when they were in the Forbidden Forest. He remembered seeing creatures they couldn't describe attack them, which made them hide in a cave. They continued their journey the next day but were attacked by the Acromantulas. And that was how they ended up back to the castle without Elizabeth. There's a high chance Gothel focussed on Joel, Tailfire, and the others, but not Elizabeth." Hiccup explained.

"She obviously got through the tunnel!" stated Miriam with confidence.

"So is that all Astrid said, Macintosh?" asked Hiccup.

"I still wanted to know why she went into the forest. We should ask her when she finishes talking to Professor Lunar."

* * *

Jack spotted Yang in the kitchens when she was about to enter the common rooms. They arrived just in time to stop her.

"Yang!" The girl stopped in her tracks and looked as if she was glad that people were searching for her.

"What brings the two of you here? Did you want to control your Core Magic, Jack?"

"I already went to see Xander about that." Yang's eyes glared back at Jack like she was about to lose her temper.

"We're here to see you about something else. You see… Xander told us that you'd be able to help us with this," said Merida. She noticed Yang's eyes lighting back up again.

"He said that about me? Okay… What's up then?"

Merida took off her necklace and handed it to Yang. The Hufflepuff graciously took it and closed her eyes.

"Hmm, I saw Arendelle as soon as I touched it."

"So Arendelle Corp made it?" asked Merida.

"More than that. It's a Dusk Crystal, but white." Yang added. She handed the crystal back to Merida.

"What makes it so special?" Yang looked slightly annoyed knowing that she had to explain everything to them.

"This is going to take a while." Yang lay a barrel upright and sat on the flat top. She gestured her hand to tell them to sit down too. "Core Magic conquers spells, which you've already seen last year. Core Magic also conquers Dusk Technology, which you, Jack, have demonstrated when you took out the Dusk Droid last year."

"It's kind of unfair that Core Magic is overpowered," said Merida.

"I know. Dusk is separated into colours: Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. Society, as we know now, has simplified it to the colours of the rainbow, which is easier to remember. Anyway, they have different properties when it interacts with Core Magic. For example, green Core Magic can only destroy Dusk that belongs to the magenta class because magenta absorbs green light."

"So what Jack destroyed last year was made of a material that absorbed red light?"

"Yes. Dusk Droids are made up of combinations of Dusk. Their metals contain numerous amounts of Dusk Powder, so obviously, the red Core Magic worked against it, but so will other Core Magic. Imagine your house was made up of straw, sticks, and bricks. It may sound like a combination that works, but when the Big Bad Wolf blows it, what do you think happens?"

"The house goes crashing down because of the stick and straws," answered Jack.

"He could also burn down the house too," said Yang. "Now where was I? This White Dusk Crystal—which I've never heard of before—would theoretically reflect all colours of Core Magic because that's how science works."

"How did you know we were asking for that? I never mentioned that it blocked Jack's Core Magic." Merida saw Yang smile back sheepishly.

"I might or might not have looked into your past and known you two were coming." She didn't want to explain more of their expected arrival for if she spoke more about it, they would've known that her convenient timing before entering the common room was all staged.

"So this is the opposite of Black Dusk?" asked Jack.

Yang appeared to have a sudden shock when she heard Jack mention Black Dusk. "Where did you hear that?"

"Uh, Xander?" Jack hoped it was the correct answer because Yang was about to explode. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Anyway…" Yang took a few steps back and aimed her wand at Merida. Her eyes began glowing yellow and they saw her wand being set with flames of the same hue. "Energius Reducto."

The bolt of yellow Core Magic headed to Merida, and they shielded their eyes. The Core Magic exploded around Merida, scattering in all directions away from her. Merida and Jack weren't pleased with Yang's method of testing out the powers of her necklace.

"Are you mad?!" yelled Merida. Yang was laughing.

"I'm sorry. Honestly, I am. You should've seen the look on your faces." She continued to laugh. "Seriously though. Merida, keep that necklace safe for now. It might come in handy."

"How do you know Core Magic?" asked Jack. "If it's so easy for a few second years, how is it that I haven't found anyone else who can cast it?"

"Xander invented it, so he can teach it. But I was there at the Great Hall and saw your epic fight with Dagur. You didn't tell Xander that you can cast Core Magic at maximum power, did you?"

Jack shook his head. He didn't know why she asked that, but it sounded like she was competing against him for a bet perhaps.

* * *

Hiccup and his team disbanded for the day. One could go mad with all that investigation going on. Hiccup headed to the library where Rapunzel apparently was. He hadn't seen her all day today and decided to pay her a visit.

She was on a desk by herself and it looked like she wanted to be alone.

"Rapunzel?" asked Hiccup. The blonde looked up and smiled with a welcoming expression on her face. "Are you busy?"

"Oh no, of course not, Hiccup." She slowly covered the contents of the book she was reading, hoping Hiccup wasn't going to ask.

"What's that you're reading?"

Rapunzel felt Pascal encourage her to tell Hiccup. She sighed and then began. "I was hoping to find out more about my hometown, Corona."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "I thought you weren't from Corona, only nearby."

"Well, I never knew the name of my village. I always called the place Home without thinking about it. Maybe it's not even a village to have a name."

"Maybe. So… did you have a nightmare."

Rapunzel nodded. "But I'm fine now—Thank you for asking. I actually saw my house and my mother in the dream. She just kept yelling at me."

"Your home is your nightmare? And you wanted answers to why that was. That's why you're reading this."

"Partly, Hiccup. I had a hunch that Mother had the Corona's Potion, which I know is still a myth. It explains why Mother never wanted me outside, otherwise the guards of Corona might've known I was not from the area. If they followed me, then Mother would've been found."

"How do you know she has it?" Hiccup leant in forward.

"That story I told you about the boy and girl who needed help, and I saw death for the first time. Remember it?"

Hiccup nodded.

"Well, that potion she was about to use… It could've been it. Professor Black said it himself that only a Corona's Potion could cure Corruption."

"I remember that too. He said it after the crows. But how would he know though?" asked Hiccup.

"There's only one explanation. The girl said to Mother that it was Darkcharm that cause the Black Sand to infect that boy. Semblances are unique, and we only know one person to have it. I think Darkcharm is Professor Black."

Hiccup leant back and tried to take in all that information. "It would make sense, except for that fact that Professor Black is on our side. I can't—actually I can—imagine Professor Black straight up killing a teenager. So what are you going to do with all that?"

"I don't know yet. But please, just keep this between us. I don't want you getting involved."

"Oh sure. It's not like I'm busy." Hiccup still had to focus on the disappearance of Elizabeth. There was nothing else he could do though except trying to enter the mist, which was a death sentence.

At that moment, Jack and Merida joined the two in the library.

"So I heard you got into a fight with Dagur. I'm surprised Xander didn't come in to intervene."

"You heard? Not surprising since that's what everyone's talking about. So what have you been up to today, Hiccup?"

"Nothing except for looking for Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth? Tailfire mentioned her in my common room. Didn't Elizabeth disappear a month ago?"

"I know what you're thinking, but Yang used her orb and what she saw was nothing but darkness. The orb would not show anything at all if she was dead, but it would also do the same if it failed. So really there's nothing we learnt from Yang. How about you guys?"

"Well my necklace stopped Jack's Core Magic when it hit Dagur. We looked into it and found that it was a Dusk Crystal all along. Long story short, it can reflect all Core Magic."

"So I guess you're safe from Xander," said Rapunzel.

"Aye, that is true," replied Merida. "I also remember when we battled the Dusk Droid last year. It's Core Magic did nothing to me, so I guess it counts for Dusk Droids too. The only question is how Arendelle's White Dusk Crystal made it to the markets of Diagon Alley."

"We should ask Anna tomorrow. In the meantime, for our investigation, we need to know more about this evil witch, which people now call the evil caster. We need to look into Horcruxes, and how to destroy them." Hiccup stopped suddenly.

"Why are you showing a blank face?" asked Jack.

"That kind of information is in the Restricted Section. Merida, maybe you could ask Xander for help?"

"If it's about the curse, then I'm sure he'd help. I just don't know if that's what Yang wants."

"Yang doesn't make the rules," said Jack.


	15. The Promise

Christmas was normally the time of getting together and spreading a holiday cheer with your beloved ones. Over the majority of students were meant to be home if it weren't for the curse. This inconvenience had led many angered students to attempt to leave the school, but their efforts were stopped by the professors.

Merida and her friends were dismayed at the stressful sight. All the desperate ones struggling to escape from the grasps of the professors, who were only trying to help by avoiding another Elizabeth tragedy. The younger first years cried because they didn't have the courage to leave. Matters reached its limit when violence was added. Students tried attacking one another after their paranoia consumed them and the professors had to exert force to put them down.

Rapunzel was triggered by this sight. The horrible flashbacks of her mother lashing out at her. It was still unforgivable, and it motivated her to make sure her mother was taken down. Things needed to be broken down into simpler steps first. To be able to fulfil her goal, she needed to keep everyone on the same side.

The day of Christmas welcomed Rapunzel in the morning. It was several days ago when the students rebelled against the professors—most of them at least. The classes were nearly empty as a protest to get the Hogwarts staff's attention during that day. None of them were pleased with the announcement Lunar made during the breakfast, which should've been their last before heading to the train the next day.

Rapunzel checked the window, but it hadn't snowed yet. It could've been added to the list of phenomena that occurred during her time at Hogwarts, including the snowy particles on her first year. But Rapunzel didn't think of the lack of snow as anything strange. If anything, the absence of snow was most likely caused by the mist, or the snow was just late this year.

The Ravenclaw got to the Great Hall and the scenery was different. She didn't stay at Hogwarts last time with Merida, so the Christmas themed decorations were new to her. The mask was good enough to drown out the horrid despair winding around the hall. All these students wanted to be home and safe. Mavis was one of the rebels who tried escaping. She had the best chance because of her ability to turn into an Animagus, but Professor Black and the sun were enough to keep her trapped.

Anna was fine on the other hand. She was enjoying her breakfast with Rapunzel and trying to stay positive. At least Anna had her sister to look out for her. It was probably why Anna was that way all this time.

Rapunzel wondered where Pascal was. He wasn't there when she woke up, so she assumed he got up before her. But the chameleon would've returned by now, so she was getting worried. The irrational thoughts were gone the moment she noticed the fruit dish getting smaller. It had been a while since Pascal had a taste of fruit. This was his only moment of enjoyment.

"Rapunzel," said Merida in a muffled voice. An apple was in her mouth as she took a seat across the table.

"Where are the other two?" asked Rapunzel. She should've known that Jack and Hiccup hadn't arrived yet. They were usually first.

"Hiccup told me he was going to be in the library. Said he was going to plan a few things with Xander and Yang to get into the Restricted Section. Too bad with all the trouble happening with the students, the staff are keeping a close eye everywhere."

"It's weird how much the rules have become strict. The punishments are getting worse and I still haven't seen Mavis around." Rapunzel said. She looked over towards the Gryffindor table and saw Jack, sitting on his own. She wanted to approach him, but his posture and body language told her that it wasn't a good idea.

"You didn't speak with Jack did you, Merida?"

Merida shook her head. "No. I didn't even know he was there. I thought he would've been with Hiccup. I remember Hiccup telling me that he already told Jack about it."

"Why's he like that? He wasn't with the students trying to escape the school," asked Anna

"You're right. He was next to me when it happened. There's nowhere he could go either except for the North Pole."

* * *

Merida and Rapunzel got to the library to help Hiccup. Merida had convinced Rapunzel that if Jack wanted time alone, then they should give him space. But that didn't stop Rapunzel from worrying about him.

"Xander told me he'd be here. What could be keeping him from arriving at the place he wanted to meet me at?"

"I don't think it's the location, but rather the timing he needs to work on," remarked Merida. "I don't suppose you made up a plan by yourself?"

"That's unlikely."

The two watched Mr Qwerty scanning a pair of focussed eyes around the library. It was almost like he was psychic because his hunch that somebody was attempting to break into the restricted area was right on the money.

"Where's Astrid? I thought she wanted to learn the answer as much as we do," said Merida.

"Gobber wanted her for something. You don't suppose it's related to the wisp, do you?" asked Hiccup. "It would make sense since they should be near the Forbidden Forest as we speak."

"Whether the wisp appears to her again or not, we're still going to find out about the wisp once we're in the Restricted Section. It must be valuable information if it's protected, right?"

"I'm not so sure, Merida. Maybe it's because with information like that, people can abuse it."

The two hadn't realised Rapunzel being silent throughout the conversation. She was still thinking about Jack. If people were upset, it affected Rapunzel, even though she had suffered a rougher childhood than most of them. This was who Rapunzel was, putting everyone's needs before hers.

* * *

Anna watched the edge of the forest with a large group of students. It was the first time some students were given permission to enter the forest. It was Snotlout and Astrid who were heading in; with guidance from Gobber, their goal was to locate the dragons that had fled into the mist. The dragons had disappeared the night when the nightmares attacked the students. It was likely that dragons had bad dreams too, which compelled them to turn savage. The worst case scenario would be finding dragons infected with Corruption.

"What good can the dragons do?" asked Anna.

"Dragons have a good sense of direction, and they can see through this fog." Fishlegs answered. "Maybe they got through the mist and escaped."

"That can't be. Tamed dragons are always loyal to their owners."

Fishlegs and Anna looked over and saw Oliver Steinsson, the dragon trainer also from their house. Fishlegs remained vigilant towards Oliver because of the fact that he was affiliated with the Berserkers. He never knew about this until it was revealed several months after his first year began. He never saw Dagur interact with Oliver, but there was no telling whether or not it was all a trick. Oliver could've been a spy, and he was willing to report all of Berk's secrets. Once Berk's weakness gets revealed, a war would begin between the two tribes, and the Outcasts wouldn't be their major concern anymore.

"Oliver, right? You said you owned a dragon. Did you bring it here to Gobber?"

Oliver shook his head. "After what happened last year with Snotlout and the Monstrous Nightmare, it would be wise to keep my Nadder back home. I guess I made a good choice, otherwise, he'd be lost in the forest with the other dragons."

"Can the dragons get affected by the Black Sand?" asked Anna.

"Not sure. Their scales are impervious to magic, but I don't know if it's the same case with Black Sand. If the nightmares did affect them, then it proves that it can bypass their scales." Fishlegs explained.

"Or maybe the Black Sand can affect the dragons to a certain extent. In this case, only nightmares, which caused their disappearance."

Fishlegs and Anna hoped Oliver was right. A wave of dragons affected by Corruption was going to be the reason how Hogwarts crumbled. The destruction of magic was close.

Chatter became louder and the crowd of students pushed each other to get to the front. Anna, Oliver, and Fishlegs ended up getting separated, shoving others to reunite, but there was no point.

Anna watched the forest and saw three figures coming. Astrid, Snotlout, and Gobber made it back alive, but they had no dragons with them. It was both good and bad news. The dragons haven't been proven to be affected by Black Sand, but the void they left behind created suspense as to where they were.

The three appeared weary and tired. They were carrying a shield and axe to defend themselves and judging by the state of their shields, they weren't alone in the forest.

A larger shadow appeared from behind and chased the three. They were already tailed. The creature took out its bow and aimed.

The students dispersed around the Hogwarts grounds, avoiding the creatures arrow. It got out of the mist and was seen clearly. It was a centaur, an intelligent being. This one was affected by the Black Sand, having visible veins all over its body.

Before it landed an arrow on the three in front, a green spell made contact with the centaur, causing it to collapse. It remained motionless on the ground. The danger was gone.

Professor Thorburn made her way to the corpse, inspecting its body as the black veins began disappearing. The grey tone of the centaur's body gradually gained back colour and the Black Sand started to leave the centaur's body. The horse half turned brown and the human half turned paler, like human skin.

"My sincerest apologies, Caelan." She placed her hand on the centaur's shoulder. She had known this centaur for several decades. Seeing him like this was painful for her, and knowing what needed to be done was more refreshing than unpleasant. His time was over, and his life onwards was going to be a lot better than this crumbling world.

"She knows the centaur?" asked Fishlegs.

"It would make sense. Thorburn teaches Divinations, and centaurs are known to be able to share the ability to see the future. I wouldn't be surprised that she frequently visited the centaurs." Anna said.

"I wonder what it's like to know that your friends are in danger, and there's nothing you can do about it," said Fishlegs. The two watched as the towering grey mist guarded the forest. It was like a wall that was soon about to collapse on them.

* * *

"You make things bloody right or else the others and I will do something about it!" yelled Bunnymund. He made some time to give Lunar a piece of his mind. "You may be the Headmaster, but the rest of us are guardians too!"

Bunnymund was more angered with what was next to Lunar's desk. A cage containing a fearful bat, and this bat was none other than Mavis.

"What do you propose I do? Allow the students to run through the mist?"

"Why don't you begin with letting the vampire out?" suggested Bunnymund, though he knew that idea was going to get shot down.

"You know that's not ideal. We nearly lost her when she tried flying through the carnage. We were lucky Pitch was just faster than her. Besides, her father gave me permission to do whatever if she was disobeying the rules."

"Dracula has no idea what's going on with this school. If he found out what we were forced to do, he'd never let his daughter come back here. There's no point creating harsher punishments and rules if it's going to cause chaos and rebellion!"

"I'm well aware of what's going on, Bunny. There are still students plotting a plan to escape when all that is out there is a ticket to Death himself. We need to be able to place the students in line in order to keep them from harm."

"They'll be more inclined with staying here if we made it more like a home than a prison. And while we're shining our shoes and keeping order, Gothel's out there trying to find the temple before we do!"

Lunar cast a barrier around Mavis' cage to stop any more words reaching her ear. Before explaining more to Bunnymund, he made a deep sigh.

"Bunny, do not be alarmed when you knew exactly what was coming. We hired Gothel so she'd create the curse. With the curse active, we can find the temple that also contains the memories of the witch. She knew how to destroy magic, and with that knowledge, we'd be able to prevent the Dark Weapon from permanently destroying it."

"So you know where she is?" queried Bunnymund.

"I don't, but I know she's not searching for the temple yet. She knows as well as we do that the only way to the temple is if the wisps appear."

"And what if the wisp appears to her and not to us? Or what happens if the wisp guides a student to the temple where Alvah's henchman will be ready to strike? Have you really thought things through?"

Lunar remained calm and stood up. "I appreciate your concern for the wellbeing of everyone here. That's truly the main reason I chose you to become the Guardian of Hope and the Head of Slytherin. You must not worry about the fate of the world as much as I do. If you believe in destiny, then you'd be convinced that magic will be saved according to Thorburn's vision. With the strict rules in place, no students will want to leave the castle—not even if they see a wisp."

* * *

Xander and Yang entered the library, ready to help out despite their tardiness. Yang appeared differently than she used to. It could've been the fact that this wasn't her idea, and she might've been reluctant to help them.

"Is everything okay?" asked Merida.

"I'm fine," lied Yang. "Let's just take down this witch."

"What have you done while I was gone?" asked Xander.

"Nothing yet. We tried looking more into Horcruxes, but that's also in the Restricted Section." Hiccup answered. "But what's the plan to get in there?"

"I will take care of it." As soon as Xander finished, Mr Qwerty left the front desk. They knew that something was about to happen that was going to affect their plan.

Instead of Mr Qwerty returning, Professor Thorburn replaced his spot. She looked determined, and her eyes were burning with fire, like the energy that lingered after a heated battle.

"Here goes nothing." Xander slowly stepped towards the professor while she was sorting a stack of books in front of her. "Excuse me, I would like to—"

She lifted her hand and it silenced the Slytherin. The rest watched from the distance as they tried making out what Thorburn was saying to him.

"I know why you're here. And no, I will not let you or your friends in the Restricted Section."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me, boy." Thorburn warned. "I know your tricks. Tsar Lunar might trust you, but most of the professor are merely pretending to treat you and your friend as students."

"So why are you preventing our aid? Are the professors that audacious to think they can take down the witch without our knowledge?"

"I don't make the rules. And you certainly have no idea how much more we know about the situation."

"Do you want to bet on that? I know that a witch is trying to destroy the school. I know that she was part of the Dark Weapon, and they are still out there too. I know their names. I know what they want. Stopping this curse will delay their plans."

"Do you know the witch's name? I didn't think so."

There was nothing the boy could do to convince the professor, but this conversation was interesting while it lasted.

"If you're not going to borrow anything… get out!" Thorburn snapped her fingers and the stack of books jolted to life. They bared white fangs across the pages and began snarling at Xander. The Slytherin wasn't fazed by Thorburn's threat.

He waved his wand at the books and they all collapsed on the floor, returning to inanimate objects. "That will not be necessary."

"But detention will. Using a wand outside of class is prohibited. I'll see you in Lunar's office this afternoon." Thorburn grinned.

"That is the idea. I will give him a piece of my mind." Xander walked back to the others.

Thorburn continued with the books she was sorting. She carefully eyed the students who watched the commotion, but she was more fixated on the students Xander returned to. They were going to be a problem in the future.

"My apologies. If it were Mr Qwerty or Professor Galuu, I would have been more useful."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up like that. We'll find answers our own way." Hiccup got his friends together and searched the books they were allowed to read. Yang went on her own to use her Semblance, and Xander watched as a girl was on her own.

Rapunzel saw the boy approach her.

"Is something bothering you?"

"No," said Rapunzel instantly. "Maybe…"

"Is this about Jack?" he asked. Rapunzel was surprised he knew without that many hints.

"How did you know?"

Xander took a seat in front of Rapunzel. "I was outside with Yang, Lily, and Jonathan this morning. There were more students than usual out there. When I saw the mist, a few words were in my mind: Helpless, Lost, Fear."

"How's this about Jack?" questioned Rapunzel.

"Around this time last year, Jack saw the exact same image in his head. The large wall of smoke. It was green instead of grey. But he too felt helpless. He could not do a thing to save his family. Today he is most likely reminded of this event because this is the second Christmas alone. He could have been with his sister but considering the circumstances, you probably know where I am going with this."

Rapunzel couldn't answer. She was mortified with the sudden realisation of Jack's loneliness. Sure she remembered the Burgess Sweep, but it had completely slipped her mind that those events were exactly a year ago.

"How did you figure this out? You aren't that close to Jack."

"I know, Rapunzel. But I blame myself for what happened to Jack's family. There was nothing I could do. But I could have warned Jack earlier, and told Professor Lunar about it."

"You thought you were doing the right thing at the time. That's what matters."

"I wish your words mattered to me, but I am an honest person, and I can tell you that it does not matter to me the slightest. Jack lost his family because of me, but there is nothing I can do about it and I do not have any intentions helping him in the future." Xander leant backwards. "Surely Jack needs you right now."

Rapunzel nodded and leapt off her seat. She ran despite Thorburn telling her to not run in the library. Rapunzel even ignored the words from Merida and Hiccup, telling her to slow down so they'd catch up.

* * *

Where would Jack be? If Rapunzel remembered, he often kept himself in the common rooms. It was the only place Rapunzel and her friends couldn't enter, especially with the rules being strengthened at this time.

She then recalled a memory from last year. She was worried about Jack's absence one day and searched for him. Rapunzel should've asked Yang about his location before she left, but if Jack was where she thought he was, then she didn't need Yang's help at all.

Rapunzel bolted up the stairs with Hiccup and Merida trailing behind her. The stairs led to the Astronomy Tower, where she saw him last year. There he was. Jack sat at the edge of the tower, watching the entire school below him. They still couldn't see anything from the high grounds. It was an endless ocean of smoke. Not even Hogsmeade was visible.

"Jack," said Rapunzel. He turned and saw his friends, surprised that they found him. Nobody entered the Astronomy Tower because it was forbidden for entry. If they were caught, they'd be spending detention with Xander.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

"We're worried about you. What are you thinking?! Shutting yourself out and pushing your friends away is going to make you feel worse about what happened last year."

"Look, I'm sorry that I made you guys worry, but I need to be alone at this time. I'd appreciate it if I could have at least one day by myself." He wasn't wrong about being in freedom and solitude.

"I guess we can't make a solution then," said Merida.

"Maybe we can't… but Jack… If you're ever feeling this way, you make sure you tell us instead of disappearing like that."

Jack remained silent. Telling them how he felt wasn't going to be difficult, but how were Rapunzel and the others fine with him isolating himself. Sure he liked it, but deep down he just wanted someone to understand him.

"You said it yourself that you wanted at least a day alone. I'm fine if you spend the rest of the year like this. You just have to promise that you'll tell us what's on your mind before you leave. Promise me that you'll smile knowing that you're a wonderful friend and a good brother, that your parents were lucky to have you as their son."

"Okay," replied Jack.

"I'm serious, Jack. I take promises very seriously."

Jack sighed and stood up. He stared directly in her eye. "I promise I won't make anyone worry about me, even if it gets bad."

Rapunzel smiled. The sky was darkening with clouds, and the first snowflake met the ground.


	16. The Fifth Strike

The Christmas period ended with no casualties. Classes were soon to begin, but after this day, if things continued on the same path as fate, there would be no more classes. Elizabeth still hadn't been found and people were questioning whether or not she really escaped via the tunnel. Her friend Miriam was also soon to lose herself the longer she worried about her friend. Miriam wandered around the Hogwarts grounds, making sure there were no hidden areas. Despite her hopes that Elizabeth escaped, she still needed concrete evidence to prove her friend's safety.

"Miriam!" called Merida. She did not react and Merida caught up with her. She was with Flynn and Heather, who were well informed of the situation. Miriam's Hufflepuff friends eventually gave up with the investigation; there was nothing left to do with the matter.

"Miriam, you need to stop worrying and think about your own safety," ordered Heather.

"I don't need help. And you should follow your own advice. Besides, I'm not going near the edge yet."

"Yet? See this is why we need to watch over you." Heather said.

"What's she found out so far?" whispered Flynn.

"Not sure. She's become more determined to find clues today," answered Merida. "Even if the entire school helped, we wouldn't be able to find out what we need about Elizabeth."

"So you knew her?" asked Flynn. Merida shook her head.

"I never spoke to her and I don't even remember her face. But the name's familiar. How about you?"

"I had a conversation with her about Apparition because you know… her dad does it. It'll be fun if I knew how to Apparate at this age," said Flynn.

"But too bad there's an age you have to reach before being allowed to do that."

"True, but how would they know if I Apparate?"

"The Ministry always have a way of finding out, similar to how they know if we cast spells in front of Muggles outside of school in the past," said Merida. "So did you try learning Apparition?"

"Nah, I found out that it's risky doing it without proper supervision. Splinching is a thing apparently. If I teleport wrong, I could lose parts of my body."

"So you chose safety over teleportation? Smart."

"Flynn, Merida." The two saw Heather trying to chase Miriam, requiring their help.

The three Slytherins saw the Hufflepuff halt and stare into the forest. They were petrified at what they're seeing. Elizabeth stood at the edge of the forest, watching them and waving at them with a warm smile.

"Elizabeth." Miriam was shaking and couldn't believe her eyes. "It's really her."

"But how? Something's not right," commented Merida. "She's so calm."

Miriam began running again only to get tackled onto the ground by Flynn. "What are you doing! It's dangerous near the edge and you don't even know if she's real!"

"Let me go!" The girl was struggling and Heather had to help pin the girl down. "She's my friend! Elizabeth!"

Merida took out her bow and was ready to draw her bowstring. If that Elizabeth was a fake then they'd know when the next attack came. It was going to be difficult if that was true. Fighting enemies that could take on the form of people. Merida never took the life of a human before, and she hoped to keep it that way.

"Calm down, Miriam! Even if she's real, she's not going anywhere. See?" Flynn grabbed Miriam by the shoulders and allowed her to look at Elizabeth. He was right. Elizabeth remained motionless and appeared content.

What the four students didn't see coming next was the blue light pouring from Elizabeth's skin. Her entire body was now translucent, with a blue glow illuminating the forest. She then flickered and vanished from view, transforming into a small ball of blue fire, a wisp.

"No," said Miriam. She struggled to get up and Flynn wasn't trying to keep her down anymore.

"She's a wisp." Merida watched as Miriam ran to the forest. If Elizabeth was truly a wisp, then they felt it was wrong to stop Miriam from weeping. They needed to find out what happened.

A trail of wisps led the way for Miriam, and the other three did nothing but watch. They were speechless and didn't know if the truth was something they wanted to see. The bell rang with the eerie tone. It snapped the three to what they needed to focus on. The forest was dangerous, and Miriam was walking straight into a trap.

Their instincts clicked in and Flynn was leading the way. They got through the twisted route and caught up with Miriam, who was still following the wisps. They still couldn't drag her back out the forest. For all they knew, the wisps were their key out of the woods, so abandoning them could trap them in the curse forever.

There were trees around them, and nothing could pinpoint their exact location while the fog slowly dissipated. Miriam came to a stop as the final wisp floated above the ground before sinking down through the soil.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Merida with a hint of frustration coming from her voice.

Miriam was on the move again, trying to dig the ground where the wisp was last seen. She shook her head in denial and constantly called out for her friend's name. None of them was hoping their predictions were correct about Elizabeth's apparent location.

"Stop her!" ordered Flynn. Heather agreed and tried to pull Miriam away, but the movement heard around them distracted her. That bell was the warning, but they were in the forest anyway, the place where only the desperate were.

A black creature leapt near the two girls and Heather attempted to shield Miriam, who was oblivious to the danger and continued digging. An arrow was fired from behind them and destroyed the creature. It divided into smaller particles before getting swept away by the breeze. There was nothing they knew about this monster.

Merida blocked her nose. A horrible stench shrouded the forest as the students saw why Miriam's digging had stopped.

"No." Miriam was stunned as if her soul escaped her body. Right in front of her was a hole that she dug out, but poking from the soil was a hand. "Elizabeth!"

Flynn grabbed the girl's mouth before everything hostile heard them. More of the unknown creatures appeared and they had to get out quickly. Miriam didn't seem to be able to recognise anyone near her.

While Merida and Heather took on more of the creatures, Flynn tried to bring Miriam back to her senses.

"Flynn! Get her out of here!" yelled Heather.

"Miriam, listen to me! I'm sorry about your friend. But you… you have to be strong. We don't have much time before more of them come."

Miriam still wasn't responding to Flynn and he tried harder. Something about this was oddly familiar to him. The scenery and the look on Miriam brought back memories, and at that moment, Flynn remembered when he was found in the woods outside of Corona. He was in a similar state after seeing his parents die. There was a particular sentence Flynn repeated to Elsie.

I ran away. I ran away. I ran away.

He couldn't think of anything else but the murder until Elsie mentioned his parents. It gave him hope, and he wanted to make them proud. He also met the other orphans in the process, becoming someone who wanted to bring hope to them like his parents.

"Elizabeth! She wants you to survive. Don't let her be the cause of your death!" Miriam looked back at Flynn the moment he mentioned Elizabeth's name.

"What?" she asked.

"Elizabeth wanted to escape to help us all, but she couldn't. She wanted nothing more than to free us all from the caster's curse. Don't let the curse beat you! Our loss won't be the cause of our deaths."

Miriam nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks and trying to stand on her feet. She needed Flynn's help as Merida and Heather covered them. The smell was gone and a trail of wisps appeared in front of them.

"What happened to the world?! Who lets children die?!" screamed Miriam, crying into Flynn's chest.

* * *

First, it was an army of crows, targeting anyone beneath them. Second were the spiders, which occurred not long after the first attack. Third were the Bludgers that destroyed the only source of fun. Fourth were nightmares, plaguing the school with fear. That was months ago, the largest amount of time since an attack. Today, was something far deadly.

Tsar Lunar stood from the top of the Astronomy Tower, watching the school prepare for another attack. The time it took for this attack to occur was the only advantage they had. All the planning and strategies devised had to not go to waste. Lunar watched black patches appear from the mist.

Tooth and Bunnymund got the remaining students into the castle. The Hogwarts grounds was clear and a band of teachers made their way outside to battle the fifth wave.

An extra group of students came out of the Dark Forest, where they shouldn't have been in the first place. Tooth and Bunnymund quickly got to them before the monsters could, getting them away from the mist before the Headmaster saw.

"You guys need to get out." Tooth grabbed them and saw the dark creatures pounce from the mist. Luckily Bunnymund stopped them with a blue spell and got the students running. Miriam Funar was taken to the hospital wing, and the Slytherins were taken to their common rooms for safety.

Bunnymund got back and the main battle was about to begin. He found Tooth and she was with Mansnoozie, who began picking things from the ground.

"What're you doing, Sandy?" asked Bunnymund.

Mansnoozie held his index finger up to give himself a minute.

Sandy opened his palms and there were black particles pouring to the ground. It then got pulled by the wind and back into the mist.

"There are no creatures infected by the Black Sand in this attack. These ones are made up of pure Corruption. That's why there was no body left behind and only Black Sand." Tooth explained. "You know what it means, right?"

Mansnoozie nodded and Bunnymund sighed upon realising what she described. "Fearlings."

* * *

Merida and the other two Slytherins rushed to the back entrance, despite Professor Bunnymund's warning. They didn't get to see Miriam at the hospital wing because of the panic. There were not many students in the common rooms, which was why they left. They wanted a clear view of the battle like everyone else.

The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws' common rooms were towers, granting them a perfect aerial view of the chaos below them. The Hufflepuffs were underground like the Slytherins, but they had Yang who could use her Semblance to show people who were curious.

"What's a Fearling?" asked Hiccup. They had just listened to their Transfiguration professor's conversation with Toothiana.

"A creature made up of nothing but Black Sand," said Yang. "They have no weakness except for Sandy and…" Yang appeared to be daydreaming as she thought about what she had to say. "Just Sandy's Dreamsand. Blowing these fellas up with spells won't work 'cause they'll just repair themselves."

"Can't Professor Black stop them too? He did create them too."

"It's not that simple, Hiccup. Whoever created these Fearlings have complete control over them. Pitch can only tear them apart. He can't control them yet. Another weakness they have are happy thoughts. I guess that explains why it took so long for them to come. The witch was destroying our happy thoughts, and that makes them stronger at this point," said Yang.

* * *

The first group of Fearlings materialised in the distance, constantly changing forms to mirror everyone's fear. They multiplied and their numbers were threatening. Many forms of fear were seen by the students. There were horses. There were humanoid figures. There were spiders. And there were dragons.

The plan was simple. The professors had to lure and slow down all the Fearlings so Mansnoozie would have enough time to purify them with his Semblance. They had to be careful though because Fearlings were able to infect, unlike the already infected creatures they've fought previously.

Mansnoozie conjured whips on both hands made up of golden sand. They were his weapons of choice and he lashed them at the Fearlings, turning them into Dreamsand. It was miraculous that Dreamsand was able to counteract the effects of Corruption.

Tooth and Bunnymund fired spells at some Fearlings advancing towards them. The spell exploded them and their remains scattered across the ground, before reforming back into Fearlings. Bunny made a move first and jumped high into the air. His skin began growing fur and his body swelled into a larger being.

He landed and was fully transformed into his Animagus. He was technically a Pooka but appeared more like a rabbit. His skin wasn't visible and was covered with grey fur. The floral tattoo that was on his forehead was now part of his fur, and his arms, thighs, and chest were also decorated with tattoos, perhaps even when he was in his human form too.

It was great to be in his Animagus form again. He hadn't transformed since several years ago. He controlled both his ears to capture the sounds of his enemies, detecting their precise locations before getting close. Bunnymund cast magic upon the twigs nearby and turned them into boomerangs. He dashed across the field and hurled the weapons to take out as many Fearlings as he could.

Tooth activated her Semblance and grew wings on her back. She too flew towards the centre of the field and sent as many hummingbirds as she could to distract the Fearlings while Mansnoozie took them out with his whips.

A stampede of horses made up of Black Sand trampled the ground and caused a minor tremor. They came from behind the professors and passed them as if they were never the target. These Fearlings were created by Pitch and he controlled them to ram into the other Fearlings. An explosion of Black Sand peppered the sky and no casualties had happened yet. A number of enemy Fearlings were starting to overwhelm the professors as more professors joined in to aid the others.

Tara Moonhaven waved her arms and a thick stem protruded from the soil. She stood on the plant and remained high to keep the Fearlings from reaching her. Multiple vines were creating an obstacle for the Fearlings and attacked them like tentacles of an octopus.

Ombric Shalazar created many creatures from thin air and used them to assist the professors. One of the notable creatures he conjured up was a woman whose body was made up of various gemstones. Her eyes were vibrantly green and she protected Ombric's creations. With a wave of her hand, a pulse of magic wafted around the Fearlings and hardened them to the point they couldn't move. This was advantageous as long as nobody touched the Fearlings or else they'd crumble back to Black Sand.

* * *

Some of the Slytherins watched as the Fearlings were getting pushed back by a giant wall of Dreamsand. They were still out of their common room because they couldn't see any of the action. None were aware of the Fearlings that got into the building.

Merida heard a scream and they saw Heather slowly backing away from a dark figure. It was shifting its appearance and turned into a zombie. The walking corpse was reaching out for Heather, calling her name with a mangled voice. Heather appeared to have known the form the Fearling was taking.

Merida didn't wait any longer and threw a handful of Dreamsand at the Fearling. It didn't kill it the same way Mansnoozie did it; instead, the Fearling disintegrated and escaped its threat. Students then realised they all still had the Dreamsand given to them during the nightmare attack. The Slytherins dispersed and wanted to help fight the Fearlings that got into the castle.

One was caught in Merida's crosshairs. She pursued it down the corridors and even ignored Professor Once-ler. He tried to stop her, but she didn't notice him, so he ended up helping other students from the Fearlings.

The Fearling escaped into the girls' lavatory. That place was always dim with shadowy walls. It was the best spot for a Fearling to hide. Merida didn't hesitate to seek it out in the bathroom.

* * *

The banging on the door to the Hufflepuff common room was growing louder and the students didn't dare to open it. Yang already knew that the Fearlings got into the castle, and they were picking the students one by one. Yang had to check who it was just in case they weren't actually a Fearling.

"What's your name?" asked Hiccup.

"It's me, Tailfire!" She continued banging on the door. Hiccup gave Yang a nod.

"Isabella Tailfire, present." The orb showed her standing right outside the entrance. To their relief, there was nobody else with her, so the common rooms weren't going to get flooded.

They got the entrance to open and Tailfire ran inside. "Those creatures… got inside!"

"Yeah, we're all aware of that," said Yang while holding her orb. "Tailfire, where's Xander?"

"He stayed in the common rooms." Was there any reason why Yang didn't check using her Semblance?

"The Slytherins are going to cause a lot of trouble staying outside their common rooms."

"How about Merida? Did she leave too?" asked Hiccup.

Yang nodded. "Merida Dunbroch, present." The orb showed the Princess of Dunbroch chasing a shadow down the hallways. She was determined to take it down, even though one Fearling wasn't their main concern.

The shadow got into the lavatory, and Merida went in with it.

"What's happening inside?" asked Hiccup.

"Hold on," said Yang. The vision panned into the bathroom. But the moment they saw the room, the image began replicating itself until the vision was unwatchable, like myriad glass pieces complicating the vision.

"Figures. It always happens in the bathrooms for some reason," said Yang. She turned and saw that Hiccup wasn't next to her anymore. "Where are you going?"

"If your Semblance did that, then that isn't a good sign for Merida." He was about to open the entrance to head out.

"But you're not allowed to leave! Besides, this place has traces of Dreamsand, meaning it's the safest place right now."

Hiccup ignored her and left to help his friend.

"Idiot."

* * *

Merida slowly surveyed around the bathroom stalls. One of them had the Fearling. It was usually the Fearlings that played the role of the predator, but now it was switched unless it was a trap.

The floor was flooded as one of the taps was left on, probably left like that because of the rush to the common rooms. There were mirrors everywhere and Merida sometimes mistook her reflection as a Fearling.

There was nothing but the sound of water rushing beneath her. The loud clang of the pipes above and behinds the walls gave Merida a shock. What if she missed when she threw the Dreamsand? She'd have to rely on her bow and arrow.

No sign of the Fearling kept Merida in the bathroom for long. She was beginning to think that it somehow escaped when she got in. She had to leave to find it, or another Fearling if she was lucky.

Just then, a shadow ran past Merida. She prepared a handful of Dreamsand and darted her eyes around the bathroom. The ceiling was high, which didn't help with the situation. There were now convincing signs that she wasn't alone in this room. Laughter was heard, and something about the atmosphere seemed ominous.

"Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary," said a voice. It was a woman's but twisted like a monster's. The last time Merida heard that story was during Halloween when the girls were exchanging ghost stories.

There was nothing but silence after that. Even the running pipes and footsteps outside the room halted. Merida was slowly tensing up and didn't know why. She wasn't afraid of the Bloody Mary story, so there was no reason for the Fearling to take on that form.

She then saw it. A figure stood behind Merida and she could see it from the mirror. The lady had a maimed body and her face was bloody. Her eyes were dark, with eyes glowing blood red. Her clothes were black and she twitched uncontrollably.

Merida quickly turned back to throw the Dreamsand, but the figure wasn't there. The Dreamsand scattered on the ground and came to waste, washing down with the water to the drain. She turned back to the mirror and Bloody Mary was right in front of her. She jumped through the mirror and shattered it, causing remnants of the glass to cut the princess.

She was pinned to the ground with the Fearling that took on the form of Bloody Mary on top of her. Bloody Mary hissed at Merida before extending her nails, getting ready to jam them through Merida's eyes. Merida grabbed a piece of the glass and slashed it across Bloody Mary's neck, but no blood gushed out. Instead, Black Sand began stitching the fresh wound.

Bloody Mary made another attempt to kill Merida after disarming the shard from her. She nearly succeeded, but a puff of Dreamsand peppered onto her, causing an agonising burn on her face. The Fearling shrieked so loud that Merida blocked her ears, leaving a huge ring afterwards. It disintegrated and turned into Black Sand, escaping through the pipes.

Merida slowly got up and tried to not make any of her cuts worse. Her head was spinning after the impact on the ground. She took a look at her rescuer. "Hiccup?"

He came to her and helped her up. "You okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine, but how'd you know I was here?"

"Yang used her orb to track down the Slytherins. When she looked at you the vision started failing when you went in here, so I figured something was wrong." Hiccup explained.

"Thanks," said Merida.

"Don't worry about it," he replied. "Let's get you and the others into the Hufflepuff common room. There's no safer place than there."


	17. Lantern's Clue

The Great Hall and the kitchens were now being flooded with students from different houses. The Fearlings managed to enter every common room but the Hufflepuffs'. All the entrances and breaches were blocked off and guarded by professors. The battle outside was not visible from the windows in the Great Hall. With all students gathered in one place, the school was vulnerable.

Merida and Hiccup got into the Hufflepuff common rooms. It was Merida's first time there. Even though the rooms were poorly lit, there was a feeling of being home and it was more comfortable than the Slytherin common room, which was always cold.

They searched the dormitory where their friends were. Only the second years were watching Yang's orb in her room. It wasn't like she was able to show her vision to everyone.

The professors were winning. All of their efforts counted and the Fearlings were beginning to retreat. This wasn't a sign to stop though, as with every spared Fearling meant there were more problems to deal with in the future.

The grass was losing its green and the sky was darkening. It was still quite early for the sun to vanish, but the heavy clouds made it appear so. They could hear the thunder drumming inside the dark cloud even without the use of Yang's orb. The professors stopped and made their way back away from the combat zone. A giant bolt of lightning struck the ground where most of the Fearlings were, incinerating them without the need of Dreamsand. More lightning bolts were fired and each hit made the ground shake.

"What's happening?" asked Merida.

"Hang on." Yang panned the vision to the sky and they saw the Astronomy Tower, where Professor Lunar was supposedly watching the match. The tower was glowing and the students were confused. "Tsar Lunar, present."

The orb changed to the perspective of the Headmaster. They could see that he wasn't in the tower anymore. He was turning some disks on a table that began glowing the same hue as the Astronomy Tower. They had no idea where this place was nor what it could achieve. All they knew was Professor Lunar was not messing around.

"Toothiana, present."

* * *

Everything went according to plan. The professors inspected the damage of the lightning storm and found no traces of the Black Sand. They now had to deal with the escaped Fearlings that made it into the forest. The sixth wave was undoubtedly going to be weakened with fewer Fearlings to worry about.

"The threats are lower in their numbers. We should head into the forest to stop the curse," suggested Bunnymund.

"Bunny, no. We have to make sure the children are safe and have a place to take cover before the next attack."

"But Tooth, there won't be another attack if we stop the witch and find Gothel."

"Something's not right. The Fearlings gave up too quickly. Can't you feel it?" asked Tooth.

"Fear? I can. It's still lingering."

"Which means the Fearlings are stronger than we think. They didn't cower, but retreated by the witch's command."

Tooth saw Bunnymund head near the edge of the Dark Forest. What they all failed to noticed was a stream of Black Sand being camouflaged on the black patch of grass caused by the lightning. The Black Sand turned into a tendril and grabbed Bunnymund by his ankle, dragging him near the edge. It was a trap. More Black Sand emerged from the forest and turned back into Fearlings, running around Bunnymund to prevent anyone interfering.

"Bunny!" Tooth got to the wave of Fearlings and tried blasting them with a spell, but the amount of Black Sand was overwhelming and they repaired quicker than anticipated. With all her might, Tooth rammed herself into the wall of Corruption using her wings to propel herself, but the density prevented Tooth from getting through. She was thrown back on the ground and watched Bunnymund helplessly trying to escape the grip of the Fearling.

She saw a Fearling fly above Bunnymund, circulating him like a bunch of vultures ready to devour their prey. The Fearling split into many tendrils and dived into Bunnymund, stabbing him on multiple areas on his back. Tooth heard the grunts from Bunnymund over the sound of the whispering sand.

Mansnoozie made it to Tooth and got her to step back. He lashed his whips and wrapped them around the Fearlings, turning them all back into Dreamsand. The reaction caused the group of Fearlings to explode and scatter everywhere. They were too late.

The Fearling was in Bunnymund, causing him to writhe in pain. He was still in his Pooka form, and his fur began turning dark grey. Tooth was about to approach him to help, but she heard his voice.

"Stay back." He looked at her and she saw his green eyes turning yellow. His rabbit-like teeth began transforming into sharp fangs and his grunting stopped. He stared at the ground, and Tooth didn't know if he was still himself.

"Bunny?" Tooth made slow steps towards him. She saw him breathing heavily, and the wounds on his back began regenerating, which was expected if one was corrupted.

The infected Bunnymund glared back at her and his piercing yellow eyes were hard to look at. He snarled at her and dashed into the forest before the professors could stop him.

"Bunny!" Mansnoozie stopped Tooth. If she followed Bunnymund into the forest alone, she could've been infected too. "Sandy, please!"

The Head of Hufflepuff shook his head. Tooth knew he was right about not going in the forest, but the image of Bunnymund's pain loomed over her thoughts. She didn't want him to feel alone, and giving up so easily was not her strong suit. Tooth could do nothing at this point but collapse on the ground and mourn for her close friend. There was no cure, except for an old myth that was never proven to be true. Her many years of knowledge on this planet still didn't help in this situation.

Pitch got to them and told them to head back into the castle. There was no telling when the sixth wave was coming. "Tsar has told me to get you two into the Great Hall."

"You know how to cure him, right?! You've got to help him."

"You know that's impossible right now. There's nothing that can be done, and you know as well as I do that it's too late," said Pitch.

"An announcement for all students and staff to make their way into the Great Hall." The Headmaster's voice blared around the school. There were students outside too, watching the battle the whole time. They had witnessed what happened to Bunnymund from the distance.

Mansnoozie conjured an arrow pointing to the castle. Tooth gave in and followed him, turning her back to the forest. Maybe when the time came, she'd be able to head off into the forest to help Bunnymund.

* * *

Merida and her friends took a seat together on the Hufflepuff table. They witnessed what had happened to Professor Bunnymund, but they still couldn't believe it. It was Yang who took away the orb from them, thinking it was too much for them to see. Of course, things like that did not scare Yang. She had told Merida and the others that Bunnymund was fine and that he'll be back. She was glad Xander wasn't there to see it.

"Jack, Rapunzel!" called Merida. The two had just entered the Great Hall and Merida noticed that she had not seen them during the attack. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine. Those creatures broke through the windows, but we all hid in the library with help from Hans. The question is: Are you okay?" asked Jack. "I heard the Slytherin common room was also hit."

Merida covered the scratches on her neck. They probably noticed the wounds. "Hiccup helped me."

"Hiccup?" Jack looked at Hiccup to see a shy grin. "Remind me to call for you when I'm trouble."

"Is it true?" asked Rapunzel. "I heard a lot of people talk about Professor Bunnymund."

Merida and Hiccup turned to each other and nodded. "We were watching through Yang's orb and saw Black Sand take over his body."

"What?!" shouted Jack. "When was this?!"

"Just before the attack ended." Hiccup answered. "Yang took away the orb because it was a horrifying image. We still don't know what happened to him after that, but I think the professors do. We just have to see if they'll tell us."

"Can everyone be seated, thank you." Lunar was at the podium again. His expression wasn't very welcoming and he had grim news to share. "Once again, I would like to thank all of you for your cooperation. I know our journey this year hasn't been positive, and we are doing our best to help everyone. It wouldn't be fair if I kept this from everyone, so I should share it now. Tomorrow, we are sending out a group of professors to find an end to the curse once and for all."

Distant murmurs circulated the hall from the students. They were mainly tones of disbelief and confusion. How were the professors planning to end the curse and why now?

"Silence please." He waited patiently before continuing. "It has come to my attention that the curse is controlled by a powerful witch that fought during Year X with the Dark Weapon. I can assure that you should not worry about the Dark Weapon, as there have been no reportings of their existence for a long time. This witch has no idea that the Dark Weapon has been defeated years ago, so that's why she's still trying to destroy the school with her curse. The only way to reach the tomb where her body lies is to follow the wisp."

To most, Lunar was not making any sense.

"We've been waiting for the wisp to appear to one of the professors so we could get to the tomb, but we've been unlucky. Our last resort is to send a group of professors into the forest. Their experience will get themselves past the dangers."

Merida disagreed with this plan. Going against the wisp was the first error, as it could result in catastrophic outcomes. If a group of professors were to fail, then they'd end up like Bunnymund, the worst case scenario.

"What about Professor Bunnymund!" called out a student. It caused a chain reaction and Lunar was now getting bombarded with questions about the Transfiguration professor.

"I'm leading on to that. Professor Bunnymund was an important staff here at Hogwarts. His mission was to spread hope to everyone for he was the Easter Bunny. It saddens me to say this, but Professor Bunnymund has passed during the fifth attack. The Fearlings that were part of that wave were responsible, and when the curse is finished, so will the Fearlings."

Merida saw Rapunzel's hand covering her mouth. Even hearing Professor Lunar say it out loud made her skip a heartbeat. There was complete silence when Lunar left the podium. She saw Professor Toothiana pouring tears where she sat, and Professor Mansnoozie was comforting her. They were friends for centuries and were immortal. Merida wondered if Professor North knew anything about this.

* * *

The rest of the day continued on, but all extra classes for Saturday were done until the curse was dealt with the next day. Merida stayed in the Great Hall with Rapunzel, discussing about her mother, Gothel. Rapunzel couldn't bottle it up anymore. She needed to share her thoughts with someone else before continuing on.

"Merida, has your mother ever hit you?" asked Rapunzel.

"She probably has when I was little. I was probably up to no good."

"What about now?"

"No, never." Merida knew where this was going. It was obvious Rapunzel went through a lot with her mother. She couldn't imagine her own life if her mum hit her. "Rapunzel, you know you can tell me anything."

"It's not easy," admitted Rapunzel.

"Of course it is. Once you get it off your chest, you'll be glad you told me."

"Okay. Mother punishes me, and sometimes they are for no reason."

Merida nodded. "How does she punish you?"

"She hits me. She breaks my things. She refuses to feed me. She locks me in my room." Rapunzel's fists were clenched tighter, ruining the napkin in her hand. It was common sense to not hurt someone like that, especially a family member.

"Sorry to hear that, Rapunzel. So you haven't told anyone else?" Rapunzel shook her head.

"Mother never allowed me to leave Home. Home was the safest place she told me. But I never realised what she was hiding all along. Remember the story I told you about the boy and girl who visited?"

"The one with the boy who was infected with Black Sand like Bunnymund?"

"Yes, that one. Haven't the clues added up yet? The girl came to Mother so she'd cure her friend. Mother never let me leave Home, thinking people would hurt me. What if she never let me out because the people at Corona would know about her? There's a myth about Corona's Potion, which Professor Black mentioned too. He said it could cure Corruption Magic."

"Your mum being involved with this curse right now is one thing, but having a legendary potion is harder to believe. Why would she own a potion to help people?" asked Merida, shuffling some notes she took with her.

"I never got to know those two people. They could've been bad guys for all I know."

"So if it's true, then what are you going to do?" asked Merida. "This information could be important to share, especially with Bunnymund infected."

"But isn't it still too late even with the non-existent potion?" Rapunzel questioned even though it wasn't in her nature to do so.

"If this potion hasn't been found, then how would we know? And the Fearlings didn't exactly kill him. They brought him to the state of being controlled by Black Sand. While he's infected, he's still alive."

"Mother said it was too late when the boy turned by the Black Sand. It's far too late for Bunnymund." Rapunzel said sadly.

"Still, it's the best chance there is. Maybe it works. Maybe it won't. And maybe the potion your mother was going to use wasn't Corona's Potion. It's still a good idea to get a sample of that potion in case Black knows how to make it better. I wouldn't be surprised if your mum brought the potion with her, in case she got infected."

"How are you going to get it? She isn't just going to hand it to you."

"I'm not that stupid, Rapunzel. I'm going to let the wisp guide me. I know that my fate isn't death… Not yet at least."

"How can you tell?" asked Rapunzel.

"Hope. I'm going to enter the forest tonight. If the wisp doesn't come, then it's a bad sign."

"Tonight?! Why so soon?"

"Tomorrow is when the professors make their way out to find the Callanish Stones. They aren't relying on the wisps because the wisps never appear to them. I need to get the potion and cure Bunnymund before it happens. When I get the potion to Black before the professors leave, he can use it to defeat the Fearlings and the witch."

"Merida, the potion won't work. I know you're confident, but it's too dangerous out there. Please don't go out. I lost my mother. I don't want to lose my best friend."

Merida felt bad for not considering how Rapunzel was feeling. The state of Miriam was incurable for now. She was still in the hospital wing, and she hadn't allowed for anyone to visit her yet. A gentle person like Rapunzel who suffered so much at home and now worried for her best friend was something Merida couldn't ignore. Merida still felt what the professors were planning was going to fail.

"Okay, Rapunzel. I won't head out. I promise." She embraces Rapunzel, but she wore a regretful expression. She knew how it was going to play out. She was lying to Rapunzel at this very moment.

* * *

Merida slipped out of the castle just before the entire school entered its twilight phase. It was quiet outside with nothing but the breaths of the wind calling out to her. She found it fascinating how people made connections between inanimate objects and humans. What made the wind like a human's whisper?

It was supposedly midnight, but the Astronomy class wasn't there, most likely cancelled—if there were such thing of Astronomy classes in the weekend. She was ready to apologise to Rapunzel as she waited for the wisp to appear.

She travelled across the Hogwarts grounds to where she remembered Bunnymund was before the Fearlings took over his body. There were faint tracks everywhere, but none that belonged to Bunnymund. Her practice of being in the forest near London was paying off.

"Nothing," said Merida. She expected to find clues, not that she needed them; she had all she needed to look for Gothel.

Footsteps were heard and Merida drew her bow, aiming it to the person a few metres away from her. The girl that followed her held up her hands passively. It was Yang.

"Hey, whoah! Watch it, Merida. On your side remember."

"You know, I still ask myself if I trust you and your friends," said Merida. "Why did you follow me."

"Same reason as you. I disagree with the professors' plans and I hope you succeed."

"You spied on me with your Semblance?! You're more untrustworthy every time we meet! How dare you spy on Rapunzel too! Her conversation was personal."

"I know that. Just calm down or someone will hear you. And I'm sure whoever hears you is bad news whether it's the witch or a professor." She waited until Merida lowered her bow. "Thanks. I've known about Rapunzel's relationship with her mother since last year. It was by accident when I used Legilimency on her chameleon."

Everything Yang said wasn't believable, but there was no harm allowing her to stay. "What are you after?" asked Merida.

"I just said that I wanted to help you find the Corona's Potion."

"But why? You said you agreed with me about the professors, but I know for sure that you'd watch the world burn without feeling a thing."

"You know that's not true for me. Though it's true for Xander. I just found out that this witch played a huge role in Year X."

"Didn't you tell us this many months ago?" asked Merida.

"Yeah, but this time it's bigger. Her actions have led us to what's going on now. If she hadn't spilt what she knew in her tomb, none of this would've happened. The Dark Weapon would've given up long ago, and me and Xander wouldn't have had this life."

"What's in the tomb that's so special?"

"Information about ingredients. The recipe the Dark Weapon intend to cook up is their ultimate weapon that can destroy magic forever. A powerful seer foresaw these ingredients and wanted to report it to the Ministry of Magic, but she was killed immediately. This witch found the Prophecy Record but ended up dead by her enemies. She was coming back to life by a Horcrux, so wizards sealed it in the Callanish Stones along with any of her belongings in case they were also Horcruxes. Therefore, we find the orb, which is in the temple, then we'll know what the Dark Weapon are after. That's why the school hired Gothel because they knew she was after the same thing."

"That's stupid. Leaving the information sealed is the best thing they could've done. They've risked too much and now they're walking on thin ice. The Dark Weapon will win at this rate."

Yang nodded. She pointed to the forest and they saw a wisp. They made their way through and somehow knew they were safe as long as they followed the wisp.

"So were you close with Professor Bunnymund?" asked Yang.

"He was my Head of House, so yes." Merida bluntly answered. They kept quiet after that but Yang really wanted to talk.

"You don't want to know what I think about the Corona's Potion?" she asked.

"No, but feel free to speak your mind about it," said Merida.

"I believe Rapunzel's mum has something to do with it, just like you said. The problem is that I don't know her mum's first name. Even Rapunzel doesn't work with my Semblance. I've tried and she's just like the others."

"Others?"

"It's random. The orb can never tell Rapunzel or John's past. They're not the only ones. I've encountered this problem in the past too and at various times, my Semblance shows broken images."

"That's strange. I still hope to discover my Semblance before it's too late. How'd you find yours?"

"I was learning at Fore, where the Dark Weapon kept the children. They trained us intensely to the point of collapsing on your bed at the end of the day. At least we had beds. They held this orb in front of me and made me say someone's name. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I never really found out on my own. It was like the Dark Weapon knew, so that was why they took me from my family."

"Sorry to hear."

"Don't be. I'm fine now and I just want to take this woman out."

They reached the clearing and finally made it to the Callanish Stones.

"This whole time the tomb was underneath this?" asked Merida.

"But getting inside is what we need to figure out." Yang touched the monolith at the centre and traced her fingers over the epitaph. She began receiving flashes of anything connected to the stone. "Gothel?"

"What was that?" asked Merida.

"Gothel is connected to this tomb."

"She's the witch?"

"No, not that. She created this tomb with twelve other witches. She was against the Dark Weapon at the—wait… She was a double agent. She was the one revealing details and secrets of the wizarding world."

"She was the main cause of Year X?"

"That's right. If that's true, she's gotta be over a hundred years. It also makes sense that she was the one who broke the seal, because I think only those that cast the spell can reverse it."

"You saw all that by touching the stone?"

"Only fragments. Once you practice that skill, it gets easier. This is not my Semblance's doing."

"It's something you practised with the Dark Weapon?" Merida asked and Yang nodded.

"We need to go get her and put an end to this." Merida was about to leave until Yang discouraged it.

"When this is over, what happens to Rapunzel?" asked Yang. "I'm not trying to outsmart you or be rhetorical. I honestly want to know what happens to her when she's motherless."

Merida then thought about it. "I never knew what impact it would have on her. I guess she'd stay at an orphanage or something. I hear Flynn lives at one in Corona."

"Well if she's very unsure, then tell her that she could stay at the Leaky Cauldron, where many orphans stay too. Me and Xander will visit her since we're nearby. She could probably stay with us if Xander allows it."

"Where's nearby?" asked Merida.

"I can't really tell you. It's a promise I made with Xander. Only the two of us will know and we aim to keep it that way, unless Rapunzel's the exception."

"I thought you were untrustworthy." Merida said. "You look into people's past, which is invading their privacy."

"You're untrustworthy too. You told Rapunzel you weren't going to sneak out and put yourself in danger."

"I know, but I'm a Slytherin. You're a Hufflepuff." Merida saw a spark in Yang's eyes, as if she was hoping for Merida to say that.

"Oh Merida, your house does not define who you are, your choices do."

"You spied into that conversation too?" It was the conversation she had with Hiccup, Jack, and Rapunzel, their first one as a group. They were also talking about Yang and her friends, saying that they didn't fit the stereotypes.

"I spy into every conversation. And I'm surprised you and your friends didn't say anything particularly negative about me. I know I'm 'arrogant', which is the nickname people are giving me these days. But to be honest, it makes me glad that I didn't conform to society." Yang turned to the monolith and compared it with a piece of parchment in her hand. "I copied the runes while we were talking. I'm going to show it to Xander and he'll translate it."

"Something he learnt with the Dark Weapon?"

Yang nodded. "We all had our strengths and weaknesses. Xander studied runes while I studied Divinations."

"You're going to interfere with me and my friends?" asked Merida.

"Believe me, I want to. But here's the deal: You head out first and if nothing changes after sunset, then me and Xander will be involved."


	18. Preparation

Merida ran out of Dreamsand. Most of it was used when fighting off that Fearling that took on the form of Bloody Mary. She figured her journey tomorrow morning was going to be rough, and Dreamsand was the first thing she needed to replenish. It could've been shady if she asked Professor Mansnoozie for more, but he knew about her problem of not being able to sleep so easily.

It was another frigid night and Merida had trouble sleeping once again. The cold was everywhere in her common room. The chances of a nightmare coming for her was higher than the rest. She didn't have it at the time when the entire school was affected, but that didn't mean she was safe. At this very moment, a Fearling could've been lurking in the dungeons, searching for vulnerable life.

She tried forgetting about the monsters. They were what kept her awake; they were what kept anyone awake. The girls in her room were sleeping soundly, and their dreams were vivid and full of life. It was their only glamour of hope during this time of fear and anxiety. But some were beginning to somaticise these emotions, making the end of the curse dire.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Rapunzel. I know I said that I wouldn't, but I was so sure that something was out of place, and it was." Merida was with her three friends, ready to explain to them what happened last night. But she had to apologise for breaking a promise to Rapunzel.

"I knew you were going to head out anyway, Merida. There was nothing that could stop you. That's why you're going to have to let us come with you next time."

"When's next time?" asked Hiccup.

"The next attack, which Yang predicts it'll happen today." Merida answered. "The wisps led us to the Callanish Stones yesterday night. It's the place where the professors want to find, but still haven't."

"I wonder why," said Jack. "So I guess that means we have a better chance getting there. That's why we have to sneak out again before anyone else gets hurt."

"And there's more," said Merida. "Yang confirmed that she knew about Gothel the entire time. The professors knew too. That was why they hired her."

"What? Why would they do that?" asked Hiccup.

"She knew how to unlock the soul of the evil witch from her tomb. They wanted to use that opportunity to get into it. That's where important information about Year X is kept because that witch knew things. It's also what the Dark Weapon wanted according to Yang. It's now a race to see who gets the information first."

"And if we get it first then the Dark Weapon loses?" asked Rapunzel. Merida nodded.

"What's so important about the information?" asked Jack.

"It's mainly a list of ingredients that will create the ultimate weapon. I'm guessing it's a Dusk Weapon that's able to wipe out magic once and for all. If the professors get this information, then they can have a head start. It's likely that these ingredients are rare, so destroying them all will make us victorious."

"Well that depends," said Hiccup. "If the ingredient turns out to be something we shouldn't destroy, like a life."

"The professors wouldn't stoop down to that level," said Merida.

The four were mentally preparing them for a big day. Yang's predictions had to be correct, otherwise, they'd be trapped forever. It was weird that they were now wishing for the next attack, even if it was going to be worse than the Fearlings.

"This whole time I lived with my mother and she always did things without telling me about them. She always left me home alone and kept me away from visitors. Now I know why. Right under my nose was the Dark Weapon. They've been planning things against Professor Lunar. They want to destroy magic."

"But why would your mother want that? Isn't she a witch?" asked Jack.

"That's why I hope I see her when we get to the stones. I'm going to get straightforward answers from her." Rapunzel stood up, full of confidence, and was ready to leave the table. "I need to see what I need to bring with me."

Merida watched Rapunzel leave and as soon as her hand slid across the table, she felt the rough texture of a parchment brushing against her fingers. The girl was left perplexed and couldn't point out the origins of the paper.

"Hiccup, Jack, is this yours?" she asked. The two shook their heads and encouraged her to open it.

 _Find the place I rest and fight for me.  
_ _My enemies are varied: Six boys and six girls, fighting until they're free.  
_ _The first set is the Dark Weapon's greatest threat.  
_ _The second is protectors you've already met.  
_ _And the third is society's dangerous foes.  
_ _Kill them all for me, then my power grows._

"It's a riddle?" Merida was trying to figure out what this meant. She pushed it to Jack and Hiccup across the table so they'd give it a go, but none of them could figure it out either.

She heard a loud cough and looked past Hiccup and Jack, seeing the Hufflepuff staring at them with aggravation. Yang cleared her throat and was flipping her hand, only to become even more annoyed with Merida's confusion.

Hiccup lifted the parchment and Merida then saw it. There was extra writing on the back and Merida couldn't understand why Yang didn't leave specific instructions to tell them to turn it over.

"Here." Merida took the paper back and flipped it, revealing extra information.

 _Use these clues Xander translated from the monolith to figure out how to get into that witch's temple. Even though I'm eager to handle this situation on my own, it appears that the wisps are on your side, that fate is in your hands. I've convinced Xander to leave it all to you and you've until sundown before me and Xander_ get _involved._

 _This might seem selfish of me to ask you this, but I need you to do something for me during your journey. When you make it into the temple, I want you to kill the witch. She'll come back if you kill her the same way she died on Year X, but if you find her Horcrux, destroy it and she'll be gone forever. I've done my research and can tell you that Basilisk venom and Fiendfyre can destroy it. Don't worry too much about that though. Just bring it to me and we'll handle it from there._

 _There's also something that should be mentioned. The information Gothel and the professors are after… Make sure that doesn't leave the temple. I don't want that in anyone's hands. It's already caused so much damage. It should be stored in a Prophecy Record like the one I use._

 _As with the professors, don't trust them when they try to help. They may be trying to do what's right, but for some reason, I don't think the Ministry will be of any use. They'll probably try to keep the witch alive and interrogate her, but that won't work. Don't listen to them._

 _PTO_

"Are we going to do that?" asked Hiccup. "Are we capable of killing someone?"

"I don't know if we are. We're all twelve, right?"

"Half of us," said Jack. Hiccup and Jack's birthdays had already past, but Jack's was still one or two months earlier, making him older than most of the second years. "We're not considering killing the bad guys, are we?"

"I don't know, Jack. Maybe we have no choice," said Merida.

"Yes we do! Killing is not what we're going to do." Jack was slowly losing his temper. "So many people died last year. How are we any different if we do the same?"

"Jack, would you feel better knowing that you're not going to do anything? We're not going to kill the witch. We're giving the Horcrux to Yang, which contains the witch's soul. Remember that she died during Year X too. And if we don't succeed, then everyone in this school will die."

Jack nodded. "But we're still young. How are we going to do better than the professors?"

"Fate. We all have a path set in front of us. All you've gotta do is believe." Merida replied.

* * *

"Astrid? What's got you so down?" asked Fishlegs.

The blonde snapped out of her daydream and saw the Ravenclaw, taking a seat opposite to her. Snotlout, Heather, and the Thorston Twins were nearby too.

"Is it Professor Bunnymund?" he asked. Astrid nodded.

"Bunnymund was a great teacher. The best one in my opinion. He was always strong willed and cared a lot for us. He even stood up for us when Professor Gothel became a problem."

"It's hard. Professor Toothiana hasn't been the happiest without him. Somehow the Ravenclaws could just sense the loss of happiness." Fishlegs said.

"He wasn't even my Head of House," said Astrid, "but I still felt like he was just as important as North."

"He was mine." Heather joined the conversation. "We felt a strong connection with him too. Ever since his disappearance, the Slytherins have lost all hope in escaping this curse."

"Disappearance?" asked Snotlout. "What's that supposed to mean? Professor Lunar said he died."

"He did, but the body wasn't found. Usually when the body is gone, then they aren't dead. I learnt that the hard way with fighting the raiders," said Heather.

"You have raiders?" asked Astrid. "Usually our raiders are the Outcasts, but I'm certain the Outcasts wouldn't dare lay a finger on the Berserkers."

"That's right. Our raiders are mainly dragon hunters, eager to take all of our dragons and kill them off. Our scouts have found that this particular faction was paid to do this, but we don't know who."

"I don't know. I've never heard of any other group other than the Outcasts and the Berserkers. I heard many of them were wiped out during Year X," said Astrid.

The bell began ringing strangely and students started panicking. It was the beginning of the day and people were already trying to calm down the first years. If the previous attack took away the life of a professor, then this one was going to be much worse.

"Don't worry," said Astrid. "With most of the Fearlings gone, this one is going to be weaker."

* * *

Rapunzel hid in the common room as instructed by the professors. There were taking no risks this time and had most of the professors outside to fight the next wave. Silence filled the room as the second years watched from the window. There was no immediate attack, but there was no telling if it was a false alarm.

This was the opportunity for Rapunzel to slip away. No professors were watching them, thinking they were too scared to leave. Once the wave was stopped by the professors, some would head off into the forest and it was going to be too late for Rapunzel and her friends.

"You stay here, Pascal." Rapunzel headed off and left the chameleon, even though he was willing to go with her to face the danger.

She hoped her friends were thinking the same thing. They were all hoping this would happen, but the rush split them all up to their houses. Rapunzel just had to guess the best place for them to meet up.

While she went down the spiral staircase, someone was waiting for her at the bottom.

"Lily?" asked the Ravenclaw. "What are you doing down here? Are you looking for John?"

The Gryffindor shook her head. "I was waiting for you," she stated.

"Me?" Rapunzel was confused. "Why were you waiting for me?"

"Yang told me about Merida's plan, and you're part of it, yes? I want to help."

"It's dangerous," warned Rapunzel. She crossed her arms and wasn't willing to take Lily with her.

"I know it is. Yang told me to not help. So instead…" Lily held out a pouch and offered it to Rapunzel. "Take this. It will do nothing but help you."

"What is it?" Rapunzel pulled out something from the pouch and revealed a potion. The ringing sound it created was familiar, and she saw that there were three in total.

"Potions that I created. They are all filled with Purple Dusk Powder, so it will explode when you throw it. These potions also have Dreamsand Professor Mansnoozie gave us." Lily explained.

"So it will work against Fearlings." Rapunzel added and saw Lily nodding. "Why me though?"

"I said I wanted to help," repeated Lily.

"I know, but you could've given this to Jack because he's from your house. Even if you say you were in that classroom downstairs, you could've given them to Merida in the dungeons."

"Yang told me you were from Corona, which is a place that's good with potions. Some say the best potioneers come from that kingdom. I was thinking the best person to use these potions was you, and you were really good at Potions last year," explained Lily.

Rapunzel thanked Lily and packed the potion away. This pouch was charmed to carry more than it appeared.

"Aim carefully. Only use them when you need to." Lily suggested.

Before Rapunzel left, they heard the sound of scurrying at the stairs. They held their guard up and searched, but found no signs of danger. Rapunzel then noticed something and walked up a few steps, picking up something invisible.

"Pascal…" The chameleon reverted back to its original colour and frowned at her. "I told you to stay inside." There was no time left. If she went back upstairs to keep Pascal safe, then the entire mission was going to be delayed just because of her. She didn't want to be the reason things went south.

She turned to Lily and the Gryffindor already knew what was going to escape from Rapunzel's mouth. She held out her hands and scooped up the chameleon.

"Take care of him until I come back." Rapunzel left and ignored Pascal's displeased expression.

* * *

"Rapunzel! Over here!" Jack waved at her and the four were all ready. "All set?"

"Yeah, I think." Rapunzel made sure she had the pouch from Lily. She needed to keep it somewhere on her where it was easy to access.

The four made it outside and stayed away from sight. What was more spine chilling than a hoard of monsters attacking the school was no monsters at all. If the monsters didn't kill them, then the silence was. There was nowhere they could go and nothing to keep their resources topped up.

"Nothing's happened yet," said Hiccup. "We should stay away until the creatures come, or when they finally announce a false alarm."

"And how long will that be?" asked Merida who was getting impatient.

"I don't know, but while the professors are on alert, they'll spot us the instant we're exposed to the sun." Hiccup convinced them to follow. They were going to stay near a corner where they could see both inside and outside.

"What do you think is going to attack—"

"What are you four doing here?"

They saw Mr Frondman on his broomstick, watching them with concern. They weren't going anywhere now that their cover was exposed unless a miracle was to happen.

"We were looking for—"

"Professor Lunar is trusting you all to get to safety. So why aren't the four of you where you're supposed to—"

A commotion was nearby before Frondman was able to finish. They saw an army of centaurs charging towards the school. One had made an appearance during Christmas, and even that one centaur nearly created a casualty. Hundreds were going to be problematic.

Frondman had no choice but to help and fight. "Get inside!" he ordered before flying off.

There was no way the second years were going to obey. They had planned this since the beginning of the day, and Yang was counting on them all. They followed Merida while she had her bow ready. She fired at anything that got close, but the centaurs had arrows ready to be fired too.

"Look out!" Hiccup pushed Jack aside and watch the arrow fly between them. One centaur had its eyes set on the students.

Rapunzel was paralysed, unsure if using one of the potions was wise. She grabbed one in her hand as the centaur charged at them. If it got too close, the potion was a must.

"Incendio!" Hiccup fired the spell in front of them and caused a fire to spread. It acted as a wall to protect them but the centaur jumped over the flames. With the belly of the centaur exposed when it leapt above them, Merida fired her arrow and the centaur fell on the ground.

"Merida!" yelled Hiccup.

Merida looked back at him with resentment. "What?! It was going to kill us!"

"Its heart is on its human half!" They saw the centaur stand back on its feet, pulling the arrow out and watching its wound regenerate by the Black Sand. The blood that poured out wasn't red, but black. It brought them to disgust.

"Petrificus Totalus!" The next spell was from Rapunzel. They watched the centaur collapse on the ground and stiff as a board. Rapunzel was glad she didn't have to use the potion.

"Come on," said Jack. "Merida?"

"He's looking at us," replied Merida. "At the Astronomy Tower, I can see Lunar." They looked to where she pointed and they could see the faint shape of a person.

"Then we should go before he tries to stop us," suggested Jack. They made their way into the forest and remained in the shadows, unsure if they were safe enough to search for the witch's temple.

Another hoard of centaurs galloped nearby to head into the battle. They weren't sure if Black Sand heightened the senses of their victims, so they didn't risk it and kept still. Merida watched her friends to see if they were scared, but they were as determined to stop this curse.

"What happens to the witch if the professors catch her before us?" asked Rapunzel.

"The message from Yang said that she'll be interrogated."

"I know that, Merida, but where will they keep her?" Rapunzel hinted.

"This isn't about the witch, is it?" asked Jack. Rapunzel remained silent. "I don't know the answer anyway. Do they keep criminals in some kind of magical prison?"

"Actually, yes. Criminals that get apprehended by the Ministry of Magic are taken to a wizarding court called the Wizengamot. If you're sentenced to prison, then you're taken to this place called Azkaban." Merida explained.

"I've heard it was somewhere near Berk, though we've never really found it. So I'm guessing it's protected by magic." Hiccup said.

"Yeah. Azkaban is isolated in the middle of the ocean and nobody has been able to escape."

"But with magic, don't you think there will always be a first time for everything?" asked Jack.

"Azkaban sends prisoners to an eternal nightmare. My mum told me that people become too scared and never want to leave. Every day they see something new that scares them. Must be some kind of spell to torment them."

"Like Black Sand?" asked Hiccup.

"Most likely. It used to be Dementors, but wizards found a better alternative. Dementors were too dangerous even for criminals, so in the end, they vanished. Nobody has seen one in a long time—even before Year X."

"That's cruel, keeping prisoners in an endless nightmare," said Rapunzel.

"Maybe that's the only way," said Merida. "This witch deserves worse than Azkaban. If we're too gentle, then she'll kill us and the entire school."

The four continued on and heard no evil lurking nearby. They were lucky to still be alive, but the wisp had not appeared to them yet, which worried them.

* * *

The Headmaster watched over the entire battle from the Astronomy Tower. He made sure everyone was in place before the next phase began. There was going to be no more accidents after destroying the witch's temple. He did not believe in fate. He did not think about people having determined fates, as opposed to Thorburn's opinion.

"Tooth. You're still here." He turned and saw her nearby watching over the battle as well.

"What's the point of fighting if we're doomed to fail? You know as well as I do that the wisps are the key to finding the witch's temple. If you still think otherwise, then you're more ignorant than I thought."

"So why have you agreed to head into the Dark Forest if you know you're destined to fail?" asked Lunar. He started connecting the dots during the silence that followed his question. "You're not thinking of stopping the curse. You're going to find Bunnymund."

"He's still out there. He's probably confused as to where he is. I need to help him. I can find the cure."

"Nobody's found the cure since the Lost Princess of Corona's birth," said Lunar.

"So it's true then? Corona's Potion exists?" asked Tooth.

"I was at Corona last year for a reason, Tooth. The princess might as well be dead as we know it, but King Frederic and Queen Arianna seem to have hope. They still hold the lantern festival for their child and it will be hard for them to believe the worst."

"What are you saying?"

"Stopping the curse is what Bunny wanted. The very least you can do for him is to not let his loss be in vain." Tooth looked back at Lunar with glaring eyes.

"You know what happens when we stop the curse?" She slowly made her way towards him. "The boundaries erase and then all the victims of Corruption are loose. They will terrorise towns and cities!"

"That has been covered. King Fergus of Dunbroch and clan Macintosh, MacGuffin, and Dingwall will keep them contained. They will set a perimeter to stop them from heading near any Muggle civilisations." Lunar stared out over the battle again. He noticed four new figures. They were students who were obviously breaking the rules.

It wasn't surprising considering a similar situation had occurred last year. They had encountered the wisps and were led to the Callanish Stones, the witch's temple. If anyone had a chance of tracking down the wisps, it was probably them. But he didn't like the idea of them doing all the work. He knew that once word spread that four students were able to take down the curse by breaking the rules, order was going to fall into chaos unless he got the four to keep a low profile.

"I'll tell you what, Tooth. You and the other professors will head into the forest. And if you ever get the chance to find Bunny, do what you please. But do not tell the other professors that I allowed this. Make sure you focus on finding the temple first."

Tooth nodded and proceeded to head down the tower to fight off the monsters. The sooner they were dealt with, the quicker she would be to get in the forest.


	19. No Bed of Roses

Lacking guidance from the wisps, the four were guessing the route to the temple. There weren't any good hints to point them to the right direction; their gut instinct was their only reliable source. Freakish howlings were echoing nearby, with a scent of death drifting in the winds above. This was nobody's safe haven. With the hours clocking down, the chances of death were drawing near for the foreigners.

"How much further?" asked Hiccup, pacing faster to not block Jack and Rapunzel, who were behind him. As usual, it was Merida who led them. They couldn't place all their hopes on her though. It wasn't like she had ever been in a forest filled with corrupted creatures.

"How much further to the temple or the wisp?" questioned Rapunzel just to be certain their leader knew her way.

"Just keep going. That way if we're being followed, whatever is on our tails will eventually give up."

"If it ran?" Jack asked. He was the furthest away from Merida to hear her sigh. She was sick of being in charge for this so-called expedition.

"Then we'd hear it from far away." The Slytherin could see light in the distance. There was no way the sunlight was able to be visible through the trees and mist unless that area was rid of it. "A clearing!"

The four made it through the endless ocean of trees and were finally glad that they could see the clear blue sky. Their only problem was in the clearing they stood. This wasn't the place they were looking for.

"Are you able to know exactly where we are, Merida?"

"I'm not sure, Rapunzel. These trees are too tall for me to see. But the sun shows that we're around north of the castle, which isn't very helpful."

"Well, I guess we're lucky to be here. We can use this place as some kind of landmark," said Jack. He carelessly collapsed on the ground and brushed his hands over the blades of the grass. There was something soothing about this place like it was make-believe. It was like this area was deliberately placed by something greater.

The howlings were heard again, which got the students back up on their feet. Their rest was over and there was a startling aura nearby. They all felt exposed and could hear sounds coming from all directions. Combat was going to be harder now that there were no obstacles like the Standing Stones to take cover.

"Over there," called Rapunzel. The other three watched and spotted the darkness appearing from between the tree trunks. The white smoke was also seeping into the clearing, like a room being flooded by water. The ground was layered with the mist ankle deep and they were fortunate it didn't rise any higher, otherwise, they were going to fight blindfolded.

The shadows slowly got closer and their details were becoming sharper with every step. These creatures were werewolves, but something was not right about them. An average werewolf was feared by many people. Their bites were enough to curse their victims, causing them to undergo a transformation every time the moon was full. It was daytime, and the full moon was not close this week. The number of the wolves were also a giveaway that they were not the normal kind.

"Fearlings," said Hiccup. "These aren't werewolves at all. Look at it closer. It's not even covered in fur."

"How's that make things better?" asked Merida.

"It doesn't," replied Hiccup. "While werewolves can turn us into werewolves on the next full moon, Fearlings can possess us this very second, like Professor Bunnymund."

"So what do we do?" asked Rapunzel, hoping she didn't have to use the potions made by Lily until they faced her mother or the evil witch. There were three she carried, so maybe using one for this fight was going to be essential.

"We take out different Fearlings?" suggested Merida as she aimed at one of the Fearlings with her bow. "If we hit them hard enough, they'll explode. That's what happened when the professors battled them."

Jack was deciding what spell was useful against these creatures. His speciality was ice-based magic, such as the Ice-Making Spell. But was Core Magic a better option? He did his best to never use it again.

Hiccup knew what kind of spell he was going to use. The Fire-Making Charm was his strongest as demonstrated in his first year. He just remembered how easy this fight would've been if he had a dragon by his side, but that would've been a problem if the Fearlings possessed it.

* * *

Again the students were cooped up in their common rooms, feeling as hopeless as they really were. Patience and obedience were testing them at this point. Some had left their common rooms to help or escape. Of course, this was not helpful for the professors, as they had to shift their priorities whenever they spotted a student trying to leave. If they missed a student, the fog would turn them back to where they started, exposed to danger.

"Let's go," commanded Macintosh. The only thing they could do in their common room was to watch the battle through Yang's orb. Why would people want to witness an event happening when they could actually be part of it instead?

The entrance opened to the kitchens and Macintosh waited for Dingwall and MacGuffin. So far, only Dingwall was getting ready, but not the other Hufflepuff.

"Young MacGuffin, are you joining us?"

MacGuffin did not answer and pretended to not hear Macintosh's question.

"Hey! MacGuffin! I'm talking to you!" Macintosh's attempt to raise his voice worked and it got MacGuffin to turn around from the orb. "Help us fight these centaurs."

To Macintosh and Dingwall's dismay, MacGuffin shook his head. "What is up with him?" they thought. There was nothing that could overpower MacGuffin. Even the strength of Thor's hammer could not budge the young Hufflepuff.

"Fine! Suit yourself. I thought you of all people would've wanted to help others."

The two exited the room and left MacGuffin back to his position near the orb. Yang and many other students had gathered around like him. He knew Macintosh was always so confident to the point of being oblivious to the dangers of a battle, but today was different. Hiccup's rebellion along with Merida, Jack, and Rapunzel's probably influenced Macintosh's action.

"Okay, that's enough for today," announced Yang as she grabbed her Prophecy Record. This made the students around her groan and sigh, which slightly aggravated Yang. "Hey, at least I'm not making you guys pay."

"Where are you going?" asked Nessa. The young girl wasn't watching Yang's Semblance. She was always just curious about the little things. Despite being in the same year as Yang and the rest, she barely interacted with them.

"I'm going out because let's face it, there are others who went outside too, including some of the prefects. As long as we're inside the castle, the professors won't care."

"That's a bad idea, Yang. What if the monsters get in?" asked Nessa.

Yang did not bother arguing with the girl. In other situations, Nessa was known to be the kindest student in the school. She gave out gifts to the people in her year on their birthdays, which was rather strange because some people never revealed it to her. Merida was one of the first victims of receiving a gift from Nessa. It was an act of kindness not many people could experience. So far, Nessa's motives hadn't been revealed and her methods still remained a mystery to the students.

"Ness—can I call you Ness? Centaurs aren't small enough to sneak their way into the castle. If it were Fearlings, then that's when we should be careful." Yang continued through the entrance, leaving the now boring room. Without any form of entertainment, the students headed back to their dormitories.

MacGuffin remained on his own in the common room, accompanied by the fireplace. It was soothing and relaxing, even though there was violence taking place on the Hogwarts grounds. He wasn't prepared to leave with his friends. There was a memory haunting him ever since he attacked the Acromantula. He realised as time passed, more and more lives were being claimed by him. The giant Dugbog's death was the most brutal of them all, and he was the one to give it that. If only he could remember what made him want to fight back against the spiders. It was something he heard from someone, most likely from Astrid or Flynn.

* * *

Down to her last arrow, Merida fired it to strike down two Fearlings at once. She then snatched a couple of twigs on the ground. Most of them were brittle, while the others were too crooked. Despite that, she did her best to hit some of the other Fearlings heading towards her; she just had to make sure the twigs were fired at high velocities.

"Hiccup!" called Merida. "This place is going to burn down if you keep missing your targets!"

"I'm trying, Merida!" He ducked down while Merida fired a twig near him. It created an explosion of Black Sand, peppering on top of Hiccup. "A little warning next time."

Hiccup was now focussing on the battle like the rest. Whenever there was an opportunity to comment on something, Hiccup always took it. It was probably the main flaw of having Hiccup around during dragon raids Merida guessed.

The forest burning down wasn't a concern with Jack around. He used his ice spells to gloss over Hiccup's trail. Ice was great against the Fearlings. It didn't destroy them; instead, it slowed down these fiends and allowed Rapunzel to take them out without difficulty.

"Hey, Jack! Use the Snow Charm. That will slow them all down."

Jack nodded to Hiccup's idea. "But that might slow _us_ down too!"

There were more Fearlings appearing and the four had no idea how many they had taken out. They weren't even sure if these were the same Fearlings. If they were, then the students would've battled until they were all worn out.

"Brace yourselves," warned Jack. He aimed his wand to the sky and cast the spell. The pale blue sparkles created a cloud that was more comforting than the ones around it. It brought the mist to shame.

The snow quickly made its way to the ground, cloaking the floor. The slowness of the Fearlings was not noticeable, but anything the turn the tides around was what the students needed. Frost was slowly developing on the Werewolf-Fearlings.

Jack was angry. His spell wasn't good enough to help against these monsters. He had no choice but to cast Core Magic at the Fearlings—if he still could.

"Energius Reducto." A bolt of red flames landed a clean hit on the Fearling, but it didn't destroy the Fearling completely. The Werewolf-Fearling snarled at Jack, ready to jump at him. "Energius Reducto!" repeated Jack. A stronger wave of fire covered the Fearling, causing it to crumble.

Jack observed the others and saw that they were consistent with their combat skills. Rapunzel knew the right spells for the right situations. Merida was picking up used arrows and firing them back at the Fearlings. Hiccup was using different spells after his fire ones being weakened in the snow. He had to stick with his ice spells. Core Magic may have worked, but it was difficult keeping its power up, and Jack felt considerably exhausted after firing it.

* * *

"Macintosh! Get back!" yelled Dingwall. The Hufflepuff did not listen to his friend. He was too focused on the nearby centaur that he wasn't aware of the on emerging from the forest, aiming its bow at him.

Dingwall fired the Knockback Jinx on Macintosh and he barely escaped the projectile. The arrow merely grazed his right arm. He quickly grabbed his sword with his left arm and sliced a charging centaur on its leg, sending it to the ground with them.

"Hurry!" Macintosh ran past Dingwall and they headed in the castle. The wooden door they got through was useful for holding off the crows during the first wave, but one centaur was guaranteed to break through.

"You can't fight anymore," said Dingwall. "We should take you to the hospital wing."

"I can fight with my left. Stab Blooder never fails me." Macintosh was proud of his sword. He had owned it for a very long time and it had served him well.

"It's an ordinary sword! It was never enchanted nor is it a Dusk Weapon."

"We don't need that garbage to fight this—" The door was getting broken down by the centaur. Dingwall peeked through the holes and saw it moving back. It was ready to charge through the door.

The two bolted through the corridors while the centaur broke through. It chased them while they were just passing an intersection. Dingwall continuously nagged Macintosh to turn so the centaur would have to slow down. If they continued straight, the centaur would've caught up.

Macintosh did not listen. He forced himself to go straight despite Dingwall trying to drag him right. Macintosh stopped and took out his sword, ready to strike at the right moment. Dingwall had no hope that they were going to get out of this. They should've stayed in the common room.

The centaur fired its arrow to them, and Macintosh deflected it with one swing of his sword. Before the centaur rammed into the two, a blur tackled down the centaur from the left side of the intersection. It was MacGuffin, whose strength was enough to take down foes larger than him.

"MacGuffin?!" Macintosh watched as MacGuffin walked towards a stone pedestal. He grabbed it with no trouble and was about to push it on the centaur while it was dazed.

MacGuffin would've had trouble doing this if it weren't for Astrid's words. She was an unexpected person to be able to alter his course of actions. She made him see what was necessary and what was not. The giant Dugbog wasn't, which created this hesitation from MacGuffin. But the Acromantula was necessary to protect his friends, and so was this centaur.

 _Scared? So am I, but we need to do this to stay alive._

A loud crash was created and some of the rubble was flung in all directions. After that, sounds of agony were heard underneath the pile of stone. The dust smothered the intersection and MacGuffin was glad it was finally over. His thoughts were clearer than ever.

He regrouped with his friends, who were concerned with his sudden change in personality.

"Are you still MacGuffin?" asked Macintosh. MacGuffin nodded and they were ready to call it a day until they heard clapping. Yang appeared from one of the hallways.

"What are you doing here?" asked Dingwall.

"How do you think MacGuffin found you guys?" She held up her orb. "Anyway, since I did my job, I'm going back to find Xander. I was meant to meet up with him earlier. Oh well, at least he's patient."

As Yang was disappearing from the three's sight, the rubble began moving.

"It's still alive?!" asked Dingwall. The three slowly backed away until the centaur smashed through the largest piece of stone that pinned it down.

"Yang!" called MacGuffin with a bad attempt to raise his voice.

"Not my job!" replied Yang as she turned at another intersection.

The centaur was mangled beyond recognition. Its bones were sticking out from its joints and large pieces of flesh were hanging off of its body. Its jaw was misplaced and the three were horrified by the gore. The centaur's wounds began repairing itself by the Black Sand. It carefully placed a slab of skin back to its former position to let the regeneration begin.

"Whatdowedo?" asked MacGuffin. He had no weapon with him.

"The three of us can take it down. Dingwall, you distract it while MacGuffin and I head off to another intersection. Don't forget to be loud so we know where you are. When you get to an intersection, head straight. MacGuffin, that's your signal to repeat what happened before. Tackle the centaur and I'll use Stab Blooder to pierce its heart."

MacGuffin was slightly surprised with Macintosh's leadership. It was never demonstrated whenever they went on those trip with their fathers. Maybe Lord Macintosh's presence suppressed this new Macintosh.

The centaur charged for Dingwall.

* * *

Fearlings got close to Rapunzel and she was in a pinch. The other three were slowly gathering near her, meaning they weren't doing so well either. Even with the chilling air blowing against the corruption, they still managed to overpower the students.

"Close your eyes, everyone!" Rapunzel took out the first potion and hurled it over her friends. They were confused with the sudden action. The sounds twinkling from the potion was familiar to Jack. Danger was the immediate thought in his head.

A warning passed through Rapunzel's thoughts. The potion was in the air, but she realised the ground was full of grass with nothing hard enough for it to break against. Her friends were already shielding their eyes while the Fearlings were headed their way. She had to do something fast, but there was nothing she could do. It was too far for her to do something about it.

"Merida! Shoot the potion with your arrows!" yelled Rapunzel. She fell on her knees as if it was all she could do at this point. She covered her eyes, hoping Merida reacted before the Fearlings.

Merida opened her eyes, being greeted by two Fearlings jumping towards her. She ducked and grabbed an arrow, aiming it towards the glint in the grass. One of the Fearlings turned to make a second attack while the other continued to Hiccup and Jack. Rapunzel's voice made it clear to Merida how dire the situation was. Merida released the arrow and got it flying towards the potion.

A purple smoke escaped the potion after being shattered. It expanded like an explosion, spreading across the entire clearing. Within the purple smoke were specks of golden dust. The Dreamsand that Lily had added to the potion was the key ingredient for taking down the Fearlings. All the Fearlings were badly hurt and disintegrated after the four opened their eyes.

They were breathing heavily now, weary from the battle. Silence filled the area and they paused to see if there were more coming.

"How'd you do that, Rapunzel?" asked Jack.

Rapunzel showed them the pouch she was given. "Before I left to find the three of you, Lily gave me this. She said they worked against Black Sand."

"But?" Merida could see that there was a downside to it.

"But she only gave me three, and she warned me to use them when it's needed the most."

The horrifying whispers appeared around them. They knew the Fearlings were back for more. The process repeated as the Fearlings surrounded them once again, but this time there were too many to count.

"I'm guessing we didn't need it before. But now we might," said Hiccup.

"We can't keep using it if they keep coming back!" shouted Jack. "We need a plan."

Somehow Hiccup felt the most pressure after hearing Jack say that. He knew that they needed a plan quickly, and he was the one who could think of one in that time frame. A good planner needed to know their surroundings, and they had to recount all the essentials that could help them. Jack had Core Magic. Rapunzel had potions. Merida had arrows. Hiccup didn't have anything useful for them at the moment.

It then occurred to Hiccup that Merida also had that necklace that could repel Core Magic. Maybe it was going to be useful, but on first glance, firing Core Magic at Merida wasn't the brightest thing to share with others, especially during a time like this.

"Jack, can you still create Core Magic?" asked Hiccup.

"I can. Why?"

"I need you to create as much as you can and fire it at Merida." He stared at the expected faces of concern and explained his plan. "If Rapunzel and I stand close to Merida, we'll be safe from the Core Magic. When the Core Magic is blocked by the necklace, it will form a sphere around us, creating a barrier. Jack will be safe because it's his own magic, and where else is the Core Magic going to go?"

"Everywhere," replied Rapunzel.

The Fearlings ran towards the centre while the four got into position. Jack had to focus on doing the exact opposite of what Xander told him about controlling his Core Magic. He had to let it loose and go crazy with his magic.

 _Just do not hold your wand._

Jack held onto his wand and concentrated.

 _And try controlling your emotions._

He thought about Emma and his friends. His family was dead and there was nothing he could do to fix it. The only thing he could do now was to live on and see his sister when he gets back. That was his goal. To fulfil it, he needed to create the strongest possible Core Magic.

There was a familiar burning sensation all over Jack's body. His eyes were glowing red and the flames covered him. The first Fearling jumped towards Jack, but the flames pushed it away. The Core Magic may not destroy these Fearlings, but with enough of it, it could push them far away, giving Jack and his friends the perfect chance to escape.

The rest of the Fearlings transformed into Black Sand, flying over them and spinning in a spiral-like pattern. They were ready to take over Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel.

"Energius Reducto!" The Core Magic flew towards Merida with Hiccup and Rapunzel behind. Somehow, the Core Magic redirected itself and flew across the sky. Jack had to regain control over it before the Fearlings attacked. He waved his wand down and the stream of red Core Magic went down with it.

The red flames began transforming. There was a row of teeth visible in the flames. They could all hear a roar drowning out the screech of the Core Magic. A lion was created from the flames, crashing itself on Merida. Jack kept the spell going, watching the sphere around Merida grow larger and brighter. It was going to explode, which was what he intended to do.

A shock wave of Core Magic erupted to all directions. All Jack could do now was cover his eyes from the blinding light. He couldn't tell if the Fearlings were gone until he lifted his eyelids. His friends were safe, and Merida's necklace was glowing brighter than before for a short while.

"Everyone okay?" asked Hiccup.

Jack fell on the ground, panting after feeling his energy escape in the air. It was a similar feeling after a long run.

They remembered that the Fearlings could return any second, but they didn't know which way was the right way yet. The snow cloud was gone, and the same for the snow. The Core Magic had wiped out all the spells cast around them.

Merida looked into the sky and saw the sun was a few hours away from dusk. She reread Yang's message to try figuring out the puzzle.

 _Find the place I rest and fight for me._

It still didn't make sense to her, but maybe once she and her friends got to the Callanish Stones, it would soon finally make sense. She spotted a wisp in the distance, ready to guide them to their fates. Merida and Hiccup kept track of the wisp while Rapunzel kept Jack from falling on his knees.


	20. Callanish Stones

"Pitch! I know you're here!" Tooth's voice sounded through the dungeons. There was no life to be found in this area of the castle. Not even mould would invade this dark space.

The battle had ceased and it was time for the professors to head out to find the Callanish Stones. They had abandoned their duties for this very task they were given by Tsar. Tooth was on her own quest behind the others' backs, and only Lunar knew about it. Whether it was going to lead them all to doom was dependant on how Tooth planned to deal with Bunnymund if she got the chance to find him.

The last thing she needed was to find out required Pitch. She needed to hear what he thought about his Semblance. Maybe he knew something related to helping Bunnymund escape the curse without losing his life.

"You called." Tooth turned around and saw the slender figure creep out of the shadows. The silhouette revealed his face and became Pitch, grinning with his jagged teeth. His eyes were glowing in the darkness with a knowing look.

"And you know why I'm here," said Tooth.

"Of course. You are trying to see if I know how to help the Easter Bunny."

"That means you're in the same alliance as Tsar. I haven't told anyone about this."

"Is there a problem with my loyalty?" asked Pitch.

"There is. It's not like you to be loyal. It doesn't matter that Tsar is against the Dark Weapon. What concerns me is him only telling you and Ingrid. That's right, I know Ingrid is part of it too. Are there any more part of this secret?"

"One more, but you wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Pitch. "Do you believe in fate?"

"It depends." She was aggravated that he changed the subject. It was certain that he was not going to tell her the other one in his circle.

"It's a yes or no, Tooth Fairy. Your centre is memories. They shape someone to the person they are now and it helps them choose their path. But what if I told you it was all a sham? Fate has all of us locked into a fixed path, and there will be nothing to alter it. Our circles contain only four members, and it's the same for everyone. Each member harbours a unique talent. Otherwise, the circle will crumble."

"What are you trying to say?" She knew he was getting somewhere. The people she trusted the most were North, Mansnoozie, and Bunnymund. There were students who followed that pattern too. Jack, Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel. Elsa, Hans, Nod, and MK. Xander, Yang, John, and Lily. What did all this mean?

"Nevermind," Pitch grinned and was about to disappear into the darkness.

"Wait! Just tell me if Bunny has a chance." She was glad he didn't disappear yet.

"There might be," he faced Tooth with a mind lost in thought. "Black Sand has a habit of sticking to their host, making sure they cling onto the body for good. If somehow the body was altered, it could trick the Black Sand, causing it to leave the body to search for its host."

"His Animagus… If he turns back to his human form, the Black Sand will be confused and leave."

"But that's all a shot in the dark. Hypothetically if the Black Sand does leave—in a rush—it will rip through his skin, and Corruption won't be there to regenerate his wounds."

"If he's saved, then we'll take him back and Pierce will take care of him! There is also the Corona's Potion. Information is bound to be found in the temple about it. If we succeed, you could get your best seventh year students to make the potion. It will be a breakthrough and we can use the potion to fight the Dark Weapon."

"This is all an if for you, isn't it? We don't know if the temple is filled with traps or treasure. But that's for you to find out." Pitch finally left the dungeons but said some additional words that echoed in the emptiness. "I might only need one second year student rather than a group of seventh years though."

Tooth was now convinced with what she needed to do. If she could reach out to Bunnymund before anything bad happened, he could transform, granting an opportunity to save him without the need of the Corona's Potion.

* * *

They finally got to the Callanish Stones. The wisp had disappeared before they entered the clearing. Thankfully the stones were there, and no freakish monsters were headed for them. It was like the group of Fearlings that attacked them recently were a trial, and if the four succeeded, the wisp would appear. Merida hated the idea that they were all test subjects.

"Any ideas?" asked Jack while he ran his fingers down the monolith in the middle. He couldn't remember seeing the odd runes. He and Rapunzel had not been here in their second year whereas Merida and Hiccup had.

The runes were on the stone like before, and Merida had the translated notes in her hand.

 _Find the place I rest and fight for me._

If Merida's instincts were correct, there had to be a battle here too. Whoever attacked her enemies were allowed entry, but there was nobody here except for the four of them. Merida hoped it didn't mean she had to attack Jack, Rapunzel, and Hiccup.

A force was calling to the children. Somehow, the stones were unique in a way. Merida remembered them differently since the last time she was here. It was like they were changing, but for what reason? If barely anybody was coming to this clearing, what was the reason for the settings to change?

The stone in front of Merida spoke to her in a way she couldn't hear nor could she understand. An odd aura kept her drawn to it. She also noticed Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel inspecting their own stones. The details stitched together like a puzzle. Merida finally began seeing a face near the top. It was hers. Daunted, Merida took a few steps back and saw that the stone was a replica of herself. The wavy and spiral patterns around her face were representations of her hair. It wasn't the fact that it looked like her; rather, it was the idea that something knew what she looked like and took the time to carve this stone—if the stone was hand-carved of course.

"It's me," said Merida. At the bottom of the stone was a lineup of her family. There was her mum and dad, standing proudly with three children, presumably her brothers. Merida was there too and stood next to her mother, grabbing her hand. A recurring motif on her stone were bears and arrows, which made sense when she recounted her life.

Merida moved to her left to see Hiccup and his stone.

"I don't understand," said Hiccup. "It looks just like me—except for the other half."

"Other half?" Merida stared at the stone at the same angle Hiccup was looking. She could see Hiccup's face, only older, and only half of his face was visible. The other half was constructed in a way that showed it wasn't a human's face. It was a dragon's.

"A dragon? What kind?" questioned Merida.

"Night Fury." Hiccup answered.

"Why would there be a dragon on half of your face?" asked Merida. "Have they been an influence in your past?" She knew something was wrong. Not because of Hiccup's sudden change to sadness, but because if the answer was yes, then the dragon should've been on the bottom of the stone, not as half of Hiccup's face.

"Night Furies have never been seen for a long time. They are believed to be extinct." Hiccup avoided Merida's question, as it would've revealed his initial fear of dragons.

"So it could be an Animagus. Maybe you'll be able to transform into that dragon."

"I still don't understand. Why would I transform into something I'm afraid of?" asked Hiccup.

Merida didn't know the answer to that, but if the speculation was true, then it sounded metaphoric, becoming the monster you feared.

"I couldn't recognise yours until you pinpointed the details. They're carvings of our older selves too," said Merida.

Jack's stone had himself standing with a stick in his hand. The stick was curving at the top, like a walking stick. At the bottom were his family, and the others knew it got to him because he hadn't thought about them in a long time.

Nobody was aware that Jack had been feeling down ever since fighting the Fearlings. His use of Core Magic required an intense amount of energy, but he still pulled through. Creating a lot of Core Magic also required his concentration, to think about his family so strongly had a toll, and it gave him an idea, which he was going to tell them before they entered the temple.

"Rapunzel?" called Merida. "What's on yours?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "I haven't seen it yet—if there _is_ one of me." She looked to Jack, who gave her a knowing look.

"I can stand on my own now, Rapunzel. Thank you." Jack removed his weight from her arm, letting her move towards the other nine stones. One was bound to be hers.

Rapunzel located her stone and watched it with respect. There was something that made the figure on the stone better than she was. There was the feeling of fear given off as well. It was like a challenge Rapunzel had to fulfil to become what her future-self was on the stone, standing proudly over the world and watching it with care.

At the bottom of the stone were people she hadn't met before. A man and a woman were standing on a balcony, releasing a cluster of stars into the sky. The symbol of Corona was also decorated on the stone, and Rapunzel had noticed her mother wasn't on the stone in any form.

"I know where I need to go now," said Rapunzel. "I've always wanted to see the floating lights."

"You called them stars last time," said Merida.

"I know I did. But the star chart you gave me last year… I tracked the 'stars' in June, but none of them matched the ones on the chart. I soon learnt they were lanterns. Flynn taught me a lot about them."

"I guess he'll help you after all this?" asked Hiccup.

Rapunzel nodded but realised something. "Flynn has a bad reputation in Corona. A lot of people keep a close eye on him in case he's up to no good. Maybe going is a bad idea."

"Why's that?" asked Jack. "Just because you're going with Flynn, doesn't mean you'll get into trouble."

"It's not Flynn. It's my mother. Everyone's going to find out that I'm the daughter of the witch who's helping the Dark Weapon destroy magic. They won't be happy to see me." Rapunzel began playing with her hair. "My hair is short on the stone."

Merida went off to inspect the other eight stones. They were depictions of other people. The question was: Did she know any of them?

One stone she encountered had a boy standing compliantly. He wasn't looking for any trouble, even though he was holding some kind of hammer. At the bottom were weapons she had seen her father use. There were swords, hammers, arrows, and shields. There wasn't much for her to figure out if she knew the boy. Along the bottom-left, there was a creature, which was seen commonly in Scotland: A Dugbog rested on the side of a stream.

The next stone was a hooded figure, meaning Merida barely had any clues to see what it meant. Xander normally wore hooded cloaks like that, but anyone could pull that appearance off. There was also that hooded character Flynn spotted in the forest last year. It apparently was able to cast blue Core Magic, according to Flynn. And ostensibly, the Core Magic took on the form of an eagle, but it still had no effect on Flynn when it passed his body. On the bottom of the stone brought Merida closer to the truth.

"An eagle… This stone represents the person Flynn saw. That person must be a Ravenclaw." Merida said quietly. "How did they make Core Magic that was harmless? Xander and Jack's Core Magic weaken people."

* * *

They spent a good hour inspecting the stones, but what they were more keen on was their own stone. The sun was about to set and they were running out of time. If they didn't figure out the riddle, then other people were going to interfere. Yang was most likely watching them all this time.

"'And fight for me'. What does that mean?" Merida was ready to tear apart the parchment. She needn't worry because the entire riddle was bolted in her memory.

"What does the next part say?" asked Hiccup.

"My enemies are varied: Six boys and six girls, fighting until they're free."

"There's only four of us, so something's not right," said Hiccup. "Maybe it's referring to something else." He carefully scanned the area with his eyes, but there was nothing but the four of them and the stones.

"How about we leave this for Yang and the others?" suggested Jack.

"No. The wisp led us here for a reason. We need to do our best."

"But for what reason, Merida?"

"What's gotten into you, Jack? You were so keen on helping us get into the forest. But ever since we fought the Fearlings, you've gone quiet."

Jack was now ready to tell them what was bothering him. They were all sitting down in front of Merida's stone, trying to figure out the key to solve the puzzle.

"When this curse is stopped, I'm leaving."

The others turned to Jack with surprise. They weren't prepared to hear something like that from a friend. Jack instantly regretted telling them, Rapunzel especially. He could see the tears welling up on her eyelids.

"I don't want my sister finding out her brother didn't make it out of a war he never asked for. I feel as time passes, disasters are becoming worse. I want to stay out of it and live the rest of my life normally with Emma."

Merida was about to say something to keep him at Hogwarts, but she couldn't think of anything. What kept Jack here were the wonders and beauties of magic, but all that turned the opposite direction. Magic has led to warfare and destruction. There was nothing to convince Jack otherwise. His entire life was crushed beneath the palms of the Dark Weapon.

"Do you think we'll still be friends?" asked Hiccup.

"I wish we could, Hiccup. But I don't know the future."

Rapunzel didn't want to picture the future. Life with just her, Merida, and Hiccup felt incomplete as if Jack was just as important as the rest. It was always four of everything to complete something. Four houses. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Four walls to build a house. Four elements. She then realised something about the riddle.

 _My enemies are varied: Six boys and six girls, fighting until they're free._

"Twelve enemies in total," thought Rapunzel while getting up on her feet and counting the stones.

 _The first set is the Dark Weapon's greatest threat._

 _The second is protectors you've already met._

 _And the third is society's dangerous foes._

"Three teams, each consisting of four members." That was it. The stones represented the evil witch's enemies. "Merida, Hiccup, Jack, the stones are the witch's enemies. Nobody's coming because the enemies are already here."

"The stones?" asked Merida. Things were beginning to make sense to them. "So what do we do?"

Hiccup thought about that. He remembered the last part of the riddle.

 _Kill them all for me, then my power grows._

"Destroy them, but I can't be sure if anything good happens after. The entrance might open, but the riddle says 'then my power grows'. Is it safe?" asked Hiccup.

"Well, what do you think we should do, captain?" asked Jack, turning to Merida.

* * *

The wave of centaurs collapsed when meeting the power of the school. The remainders had retreated back into the mist, and the professors were about to head into the forest. Lunar had requested that only Tooth, Mansnoozie, and Moonhaven were allowed to leave, while the rest had to watch over the students and protect the school.

Mansnoozie and the others crossed the vast field, witnessing the aftermath of the battle. There were many carcasses left behind, and the professors had to dispose of them one way or another. He didn't think this whole war was worth it. If it kept on, magical creatures would face extinction by the selfish desires of mankind.

The sign of determination was written all over Tooth's face. Mansnoozie had guessed that it was because she wanted to stop the curse for good. Little did he know of her larger ambition that the Headmaster had allowed.

The ground shook, and the professors regained their balance. Mansnoozie had barely felt it since he was always detached from the earth. There was smoke in the distance within the forest. Something must have happened.

* * *

Yang and Xander were in the Great Hall. They had been watching Merida's actions the entire time. They were interested when the four were inspecting the stones. It was like destiny had woven together a cloth; their lives were the threads. What surprised the two were their own stones. Merida had been watching Xander's one for a while now, but she never realised it.

"That is me," said Xander. "I do not believe someone carved these stones. It has to be the cause of something magical—primordial even."

"An eagle… This stone represents the person Flynn saw. That person must be a Ravenclaw." Merida muttered quietly from the orb.

"That _is_ strange. Why would your stone have an eagle? Of all animals, I'd expect a snake." Yang said.

Xander glanced back at her with a hint of annoyance.

"How did they make Core Magic that was harmless? Xander and Jack's Core Magic weaken people." Merida said.

"Well, you're completely wrong, Merida." Yang knew Merida couldn't hear her, but she developed a habit to talk to the people in the orb long ago. One would go mad after not conversing with many people in the world happening now.

"You know?" asked Xander. "You know why the 'Core Magic' did not harm Flynn Rider?"

"Course I do! It wasn't Core Magic you cast in the forest. It was a Patronus."

"I would have half-expected that you would forget a lot of the things we were taught," remarked Xander.

"Don't be so silly. A Patronus is created by a spell, which acts as a guardian to protect the caster. In the past, they were useful against Dementors, which have declined in numbers over the years. The Patronus Charm is extremely difficult and takes on the form of whomever the caster shares a strong bond with. In this case, yours is an eagle."

"Well done, Ms Xavier." Xander joked. "How long do they have left?"

"Less than two hours if the sun sets according to time."

An hour had passed, and John and Lily had joined the two after the wave of centaurs dispersed. They all ended up talking about themselves, bonding while the other four were losing their heads, trying to figure out the puzzle. Pascal, Rapunzel's chameleon, was beside Lily, peeking at the orb to see Rapunzel.

"Did Rapunzel use the potion?" asked Lily, only earning a nod from Yang. "Did it work?"

"It did. You remember that I told you _not_ to do that, Lily."

"Sorry, Yang. But they needed it. Professor Bunnymund couldn't save himself from Fearlings."

"It's fine, Lily. It turns out they needed it all along. And I'm kind of glad you did it. I think we have a bit of a rebel on our team."

"Team?" asked John and Lily.

"Why not? We'll need you guys for when things get sticky. Me and Xander don't know potions and Dusk as well as you guys."

"But you taught me about mixing Purple Dusk Powder into potions," said Lily.

"It doesn't mean I know how to do it. An old friend told me about it. She was pretty skilled with potions—although not as good as you. You're also much younger than she is and still managed to create a dozen potions. You're only…"

"Twelve. I turn thirteen next month," said Lily.

"Really?! Well, I turn thirteen sooner." Yang stuck her tongue out. "Very soon in fact."

"Yous two are older than me?" asked John with all the sense of confidence leaving him.

"Quiet," ordered Xander. Something was happening on Merida's side. They were preparing to destroy the stones, which made sense to Xander because he was the only one paying attention.

The ground shook, and the lights were flickering. The four ran outside to see what had happened. A cloud of smoke was seen above the forest, protruding from the white mist. Yang looked back at the orb and could see the entrance to the temple exposed.

"They did it!" cheered Yang. "It looks like you can't get involved, Xander."

Yang had made a bet with Xander. He was determined to do all this on his own, but Yang encouraged him to place his faith into Merida. Now that Merida solved the puzzle before sundown, they couldn't interfere.

"I will not interfere. Facing your wrath is the last thing I want. Defying you is the same as being eaten by Baba Yaga."

Now both of them were annoyed with each other.

* * *

The smoke became dense. With all their might, the professors pushed on to search for the temple. Tara Moonhaven waved her hands to move trees out of their way, while Tooth and Mansnoozie stood beside her, cautious of any incoming hazards. They were most likely lost.

It wasn't a good idea for Mansnoozie to conjure a platform of Dreamsand for them to navigate, for it would be equivalent to casting a beacon for all creatures in the forest to follow.

There was a diverging path in front of them, and Tooth had caught a glimpse of a nearby creature. It was snarling at them, and slowly creeping back into the shadows.

"Bunny?" Tooth moved in closer and was correct. She was relieved to have found him this early, but she was going to lose him once again. All that was left were the leaves from the nearby bushes that sheltered the creature.

Tara had to stop Tooth, losing a member of their group was going to be bad for the rest. They now had a choice. Tara was inclined to find the temple, and Tooth was eager to save Bunnymund, so it was all up to Mansnoozie. If they were going to find the temple, he had no choice but to create a floating platform to find the smoke caused by the four students. If he wasted time, the setting sun was going to conceal the smoke. He felt bad for Tooth.

Mansnoozie conjured an arrow to his right, indicating his want to go to the temple. He floated on a golden platform and scouted the forest.

"Let's go, Tooth. All the creatures now know where we are, so it's best if we found the temple before they do." Tara grabbed Tooth by the arm and tried pulling her, but there was a bit of resistance.

"What about Bunny?"

"Don't worry. He'll follow us." Tooth nodded and they both ran with Mansnoozie to the direction he indicated. Time had paused around them and nothing had reached them, but they could hear many cries of the corrupted centaurs and wolves.

The three had to pause to make sure they didn't stray from their destination. Any pertinent signs that showed the right path were appreciated from the three.

"I miss North," said Tooth. "He'd know the spell to remove this fog."

"He won't. If Tsar can't do anything about it, neither can North."

"What if that's what Tsar wanted? He hired Gothel so this could happen, but he won't tell me anything else. You're Deputy Headmistress. Has he told you anything else?"

"No. I'm aware of whom he trusts, and I sure am not one of them," said Tara.

Mansnoozie created an exclamation mark and held up his arm, signalling for them to stop. There were signs of activity in front of them. Digging must have had occurred at some point this year judging by the marks left on the ground. They were about to investigate until a horrible stench covered the area.

"What is that?" Tooth moved closer to the dip and saw a hand sticking out of the soil. "Oh no." She covered her eyes.

"What did you find?" Tara saw the hand too and froze. "The second year students informed Pierce about this. That poor girl. She had to find out what happened to her friend the hard way."

Mansnoozie watched the hand protruding from the ground. He wasn't sure what they should do with the body.

"Should we dig her out?" asked Tara. "We need to know her cause of death, and let her family know everything."

Tooth sighed and nodded. She took a step back with Mansnoozie after Tara told them to. Tara closed her eyes and began moving her arms in a fluid motion. The ground beneath them was shifting and large roots came out, carrying the corpse and placing it carefully on the ground. There were different parts that needed to be carried.

"She was dismembered," said Tooth while covering her nose. "There aren't any bites or scratches."

"Right, so it was most likely that she died by infected centaurs. You can see a bruise around her limbs. They must have pulled her body apart and… buried it?"

"It must've been something else that did the burying. Anything corrupted lose morality unless an infector like Pitch commanded the centaurs to do so," said Tooth.

Tara was unsure if they were going to leave the body behind. Taking it with them was illogical considering their situation. "Rest in peace, Elizabeth Allen."


	21. The Temple

With each step they took, the world grew darker. They were deep in the temple—much to their surprise—and Hiccup and Merida took out their wands to illuminate the area. They weren't sure what was to be expected in this catacomb-like area, but there was a reason this place needed to be sealed during Year X. The walls and steps were made out of stone, delivering a chilling sensation when touched. There were also unnatural sounds calling for them at the end of the steps.

The four ended up in a large room, the main section of the temple that connected all the corridors together. This place was a maze if they weren't careful, and nobody was coming to save them if they ended up trapped with an evil witch.

What caught the attention of the students were the designs left on the walls. They each contained different artworks, telling a story of the wizarding world's most eventful period: Year X.

"The Guardians of Childhood and the Boogeyman." Jack examined the picture engraved on the left wall. He could see North fighting alongside Tooth, Bunnymund, and Mansnoozie. They were using magic to extents he could never have imagined. There was some kind of giant wave being formed behind the four professors, and it was going to be used against the 'Boogeyman'. He knew it was Black; he just couldn't believe Black used to be with the Dark Weapon. What made Black change his mind?

"Was this all during Year X?" asked Jack. Merida nodded and she went to see the picture Jack was watching.

"A lot can change in a few years. Year X was just a lot longer than a few. Professor Black was known to be working with our enemies. That's why many students are scared of him."

"How do they know he's not spying?" asked Jack.

"The Dark Weapon fled back into the shadows shortly after Year X, and during that event, Black joined wizardkind for some reason. I'm sure if he was a spy, something would've happened during the hundred years," she answered.

Jack remained silent, imagining the past incidents as a completely coincidental misfortune.

"Th—that's not what I meant. I'm talking about everything before the Burgess Sweep. And Professor Black has been helpful during these events—most of the time. There's no reason for him to be the enemy."

"I guess not, but it doesn't rule him out of the list."

Jack and Merida continued on to inspect the next image. It was a battle between two witches, both fighting over an orb that looked similar to Yang's.

"This one's written in another language," said Merida. "Maybe Hiccup can read them."

"Are you sure it's in another language? I can't see the writing that well. It's too dark. Can you shine the light closer?" Jack requested.

* * *

Hiccup and Rapunzel inspected the markings on the wall on the right-side of the room, opposite to Merida and Jack. There was a story of a dragon war presented on the wall. Thousands of dragons Hiccup had never seen were fighting in the skies, all being led by a larger dragon. At the bottom of the picture were inscriptions.

"Runes, the same as Berk's," said Hiccup, running his fingers along the lines of the picture.

"What does it say?" asked Rapunzel. "You can read runes, right?"

"I can. It says 'Drago Bludvist and the Bewilderbeast'. I know about Drago Bludvist, but I've never heard of a Bewilderbeast before."

"Who was Drago?"

"He was a man who controlled dragons to fight for the Dark Weapon. His methods of doing so were mysterious, but we knew it was bad. He was feared by even the Outcasts and Berserkers. We've heard he wiped out many villages and we were just lucky we weren't in his crosshairs."

The giant dragon Drago stood on was the largest dragon Hiccup had ever seen. He hoped it wasn't alive, otherwise, he'd collapse at the mere sight of the dragon. There were many spikes protruding from the dragon's back, with two large tusks like an elephant. The dragon also had a finned tail, so it was most likely from the Tidal Class.

"What dragon is this?" Rapunzel's face flushed with fear. Her pointing finger was slightly twitching. She wasn't sure why, but the largest dragon in the picture was not the scariest of them all.

"I… don't really know. A lot of these things are new to me. But it does look a lot like a Whispering Death. They have the same structure and reek of nothing but fright. Although this one seems… scarier than a normal Whispering Death." Hiccup couldn't tell if it was the eyes of this dragon or the size of it that scared him. This one was worse than the Bewilderbeast.

"Hey, Hiccup!" called Jack. "We need to see if you can read this for us."

Hiccup and Merida traded spots. Rapunzel needed someone to light up the darkness for her. Merida was now looking at the image Rapunzel stood in front of, shining over it with her wand and seeing nothing but catastrophe.

"More runes, but they look similar to the one at the entrance with the riddle," said Merida. "We might need Hiccup over here to see if he can read it. If not then maybe Xander will."

The image had three monsters destroying villages. One was a lion with a scorpion's tail, tearing down the skyscrapers and creating mass destruction. They were surprised how none of this was recollected by the Muggle world. Weren't people wondering what had caused these buildings to collapse? And how was it that nobody was affected?

"A Manticore," said Merida. "The normal ones are dangerous even to the wizarding world."

"Normal ones?"

"This Manticore is the size of a large building. That's impossible. How is it that nobody knows about a giant monster walking around and breaking things?" Merida complained. Nothing was adding up about Year X.

The second monster was a giant bird, ramming itself into a building and causing it to break. It appeared like a vulture, but colossal like the Manticore.

The last monster was hard to describe. It was definitely an underwater creature, but its features were confusing. There were eyes, wings, teeth, spines, limbs, and mouths located in unpredictable areas. Merida and Rapunzel found no good guesses labelling this one.

* * *

Continuing on through the temple, they found trivial information about Year X, even the ones they've never seen before. A fallen castle had captured Merida's attention, making her think of her previous home at Dunbroch. Perhaps one day when everything was settled, and peace was permanent with nothing lurking behind mankind, she'd be able to convince her mother to move back to the castle at Dunbroch. There were fewer people and less noise there. She had missed the landscape of that place dearly.

"Merida!" called Rapunzel. The redhead was startled by Rapunzel's sudden outburst. She checked out the wall and saw the picture of Corona. "This must have information on Corona's Potion."

Hiccup quickly copied the writing on the walls. He had copied several runes from the first room they entered. Some of them he knew, but there were other inscriptions that were hard to decipher. He didn't even know the origins of those strange runes. There was no such thing as writing too much for Hiccup; the book had endless pages.

They heard laughter nearby and defensively covered Hiccup. The information he had to copy was essential to save Professor Bunnymund's life. Merida brightened her wand to widen their view through the corridor. The sound of the laughing came from a woman, but Rapunzel did not react; this was a new opponent. The evil witch was coming.

She peered out of the darkness, grinning with her sharp teeth. She didn't take a step further, only showing off her appearance to most likely scare the four off. Her eyes were yellow like Professor Black's, and her skin was awfully pale and grey. Their eyes trailed down her pure white dress and stopped on her slender hands. They were boney with long black nails.

The witch raised her arm while making a loud shriek. Merida instinctively knew what the witch was planning to do. She grabbed Hiccup and pulled him away from the wall, and in the process, she pushed against Jack and Rapunzel. The wall exploded, and the four were hurt by the rubble that peppered onto them.

"I remember you," said the witch, looking at Merida as she was getting up and blowing away the dust.

"Well, I sure don't remember meeting you at all."

"Well of course not." The witch cackled. "You only met my pet and killed it."

"Pet?" questioned Merida.

"It looked a little bit like this…" The witch extended her nails from her index and middle finger, poking them into her lower eyelids. Jack, Rapunzel, and Hiccup looked away from the gore, but Merida stared back without cringing. The witch dragged her nails down and caused blood to gush out like a river. It decorated her dress with dots of red, like rain landing on the pavement.

"Your pet was Bloody Mary. You knowingly sent your Fearlings into the castle and watched everything that happened. You made all those Fearlings we faced."

"And Mary was my favourite! I saw what you—" The witch blanked out for a while and turned to Hiccup. "You. You hurt Mary."

Hiccup didn't answer. He was petrified. He was scared. It was up to his friends to reassure him that they had his back.

"Well isn't this lovely," said another voice coming from the shadows. This one was recognisable. Rapunzel was also aware to whom it belonged. Nobody was surprised with who appeared.

"Mother," said Rapunzel.

"Hello, dear." She smiled, despite Rapunzel's anger. She stretched out her arms and had already anticipated Rapunzel's rejection. "What is it? Not happy to see your mother?"

"You've been helping them this whole time. And I've spent my whole life thinking you were always right. Why, Mother? These people are the bad guys. They've killed so many people… and for what? I thought you help people who visit because they're sick and injured."

"Oh Rapunzel, while you're right about me helping people, you've forgotten that the Dark Weapon are people too. And you're nothing to me now. I have enough of Corona's Potion to sustain my life for centuries."

"But why me? What would you gain by raising me up?" Rapunzel didn't care about the tears that were streaming down her face and then her neck.

"Why because I loved you, Rapunzel."

"Liar." Rapunzel didn't believe she was able to call her own mother that. "You pressured me with questions the moment I got back from Hogwarts last year. The Dark Weapon didn't know where Hogwarts was. That's why they lost in Year X. They had no idea where the school was located."

"Yang and Xander weren't going to tell," said Merida. "They were the plan Bs for revealing Hogwarts' location. Rapunzel was plan A this entire time."

"Very perceptive. I'm sure you have also come to realise that I followed you to the Callanish Stones. Of course, fate led us all there. It is fate that the Dark Weapon will win."

"How? What would you possibly gain by destroying magic?" asked Hiccup.

"When the final pinnacle falls, wands will fail. Although, other forms of magic such as potions will linger. I know what Corona's Potion is, and how to get it. I will live forever."

"But potions need magic from a wand to be brewed," interjected Rapunzel.

"Corona's Potion is an old myth. The world believes it to be a potion, but they're wrong. The primary ingredient is what I own, and the Dark Weapon will grant me full use of it when this is over. The potion that requires the ingredient, however, is a powerful medicine capable of healing, but it cannot stop ageing."

"Just how old are you?" asked Merida.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe it." Gothel was right. The thought of Rapunzel's mother being very old brought her to disgust.

"Glacius." The ice spell shot from Jack's wand and headed straight for Gothel. The blue magic was then blocked by the witch next to Gothel, who was completely silent after destroying the wall beside them.

"Forgive me for interrupting this remarkable reunion, but we have important things to do, like an introduction." The witch took two steps forward. "Many of you know my name, for it is something that should send chills down your spine. I have a list of the ones that have learnt over these past years, and I will begin with you four. After all, they call me the White Death for a reason."

Merida and Rapunzel remembered hearing the story from Mavis. They couldn't connect how this witch was the same one from the story. They guessed she had killed a lot more before Year X.

With a wave of her hand, Black Sand began enveloping around the corridor, bunching up between the two groups. A distinct roar was heard as the monster was forming a shape of something much larger than any of them. A glowing pair of yellow eyes gleamed in the darkness and was piercing a glare at the four students. A set of teeth were seen as its form was clearly complete.

"Mor'du." Merida stretched her arms open while taking a few steps back, taking the others with her. The beast was moving to them at the same pace, letting out a growl while its eyes left a trail of light.

Merida had made the story of Mor'du extremely popular. She had told many people about the bear that her father had battled. He was lucky to be alive, and so was Merida and her mother. The only thing her father lost was a leg. It was unclear if Mor'du was a Fearling this entire time, but it was certain that this witch had not been around during the time Mor'du attacked Merida's family.

* * *

"With Tooth in the forest with Tara and Sandy, nobody is going to be able to fulfil the mission. Tooth's main intention for entering the forest is to save Bunny—which is going to be a challenge for Tara since she has her eyes set on lifting the curse and saving the four students that left. So since this is our current situation, I need the two of you to enter the mist to lift the curse. Bunny will be saved in the process, so there will be minimal damage after this curse."

"Don't you have faith in the four students?" asked Thorburn. Next to her was Pitch, and Lunar was the one assigning them this mission.

"I am not letting these students risk their lives to save us, even though your readings say that they will. It was our job to save the world, and now we're utterly useless. Also, think about it. It's the White Death they're up against." Lunar said.

"And you're sending me so I can use my Semblance against hers? Wouldn't it be a better choice to use the Sandman's Semblance since they counter each other?" asked Pitch.

"No, it would not be wiser. Remember that you were the first to have this Semblance, so you can manipulate the White Death's Fearlings when it gets dangerous. Sandy's Dreamsand does counter the Black Sand, but the same works the other way too. Ingrid, you have experience with dark magic, so use Fiendfyre to destroy the Horcrux."

"Understood." Thorburn and Pitch both knew how to conjure Fiendfyre. It was incredibly destructive and was able to consume the caster if they had no control over the flames. Most would mistake the flames as Core Magic, but the flames had a slightly more orange tinge to it. In fact, the professors were beginning to think the Fiendfyre and Core Magic were related to each other. Both could take on a form of a creature, but Fiendfyre took on more than one form while retaining the colours of a normal flame.

"What about the fourth member? I'm sure they would be more than ready to help us defeat the witch," suggested Pitch.

"Impossible. It's impossible to find a way into the mist unless North's Portal Semblance is used. Other than that, the fourth member has no reason to abandon their post. They are still currently investigating the mysterious disappearances of dragons."

"And have they reported anything new?" asked Ingrid.

"Yes. These disappearances are occurring around Scandinavia, particularly near the islands home to the Outcasts and the Berserkers. And you know what that means for Berk?"

"Berk becomes a new target for the thieves."

"That's not all, Ingrid. The Berserkers and Outcasts will form an alliance, trying to take back what's theirs. They will also attempt to recruit the Berkians, but they will refuse, so a war will commence between the factions. But first thing's first, we need to lift this curse and destroy the White Death."

* * *

"Did we lose them?" asked Hiccup while dimming his wand. He had turned right with Rapunzel as Jack and Merida ran straight, which was the wrong way to escape. They didn't want to leave anyway, but getting help was their best option. Leaving would mean their entire quest and effort had been all for naught. If they died in the temple then the aftermath would be exactly the same: The professors would enter a little later and take on the White Death and Gothel. The only difference would be that they'd take in Gothel for interrogation.

"I think so, Hiccup. That thing is after Jack and Merida."

This was hopeless. How were they going to win this? Gothel had duelled Xander in the past, and he wasn't successful. This powerful witch trapped the entire school and one of her monsters was hunting them. Hiccup had to break down the problems before thinking of their next plan. First, they had to make sure Mor'du had lost them.

He held his index in front of his lips, signalling for Rapunzel to keep her breathing to a minimum. There was no sound nearby. They waited longer until they heard the echo of the monster, so they could estimate how far they were from it.

"Rapunzel, we're going to look for the Horcrux. If we get through all the obstacles without being heard, we won't have to battle anything."

Rapunzel nodded. "What does it look like?"

Hiccup was deep in thought. "I don't really know. Just see if anything looks special. Merida said a Horcrux could be anything."

Chuckling was heard nearby, so Hiccup and Rapunzel made a run for it. They had to make sure they didn't break apart, otherwise, they'd all get picked off one by one. Hiccup wanted to hit himself for not remembering that the monster was the least of their problems.

They were at a long corridor, and Rapunzel got out her wand to see through the darkness. It wasn't ending soon. An intersection would've been extremely useful for them now.

"Anything, Rapunzel?!" cried Hiccup. His panicked self was taking over, making rash decisions and not thinking clearly. He had to focus on what they had rather than what they wanted. He had to use everything to their full advantage.

"No turns. Just overgrown roots we can hide behind but mother will find us for sure!" Hiccup gasped and dragged Rapunzel down. A bright blue spell had just missed him. Gothel was seen all the way at the end of the hallway with her silhouette growing larger and firing more spells at the two.

There was nowhere to run zig-zag, and stopping would only draw Gothel closer. All they had were the roots, which gave Hiccup an idea.

"Incen—" Hiccup's wand acted immediately before he finished the incantation. The flames gathered in front of Hiccup rapidly as if he had been saving all that energy for this very moment. This was all unintentional of course, and the flames exploded just far enough to not burn Hiccup. He could only hear Rapunzel calling out for him, which caused him to open his eyes. Her wand was shining brightly in front of his face and she helped him back on his feet. He barely remembered what had happened, except for the bright display in front of him, and then a loud noise.

"Hiccup! Are you okay?" Hiccup turned and saw the damage he caused. Most of the corridor was set aflame by the roots, and the area in front of them looked like it was caught in an explosion.

"I'm fine. Let's go!" The two continued down the hallway. The flames were a good distraction to ensure the gap between them and their pursuer wasn't shrinking.

There was a split, which was a delightful sight for the weary runners. They turned right like before and heard Merida and Jack's voice.

"Jack!" called Hiccup. "Merida!" There was no reply, so they continued on. Another turn was presented in front of them, so they decided to go with the left one this time. What stood in their way was bad for them.

Gothel pointed her wand at them, warning them to not retaliate. Hiccup looked to Rapunzel and she could see his face illuminated by her wand. He gave her a knowing look and a nod. She didn't like it. She knew what he was telling her.

"Rapunzel ru—" A yellow spell was shining brightly from behind Hiccup. The whistle was screeching their ears. It was the Core Magic, which was going for Hiccup. It was so odd for Gothel's magic to be yellow. Hufflepuffs were loyal and caring towards others. All Rapunzel saw was evil and hatred present in one person.

Hiccup fell to the ground, and Rapunzel didn't know if she was going to run or stay with Hiccup. She turned her head to see the long path behind her, but Gothel appeared right in front of her eyes.

"It's no use, Rapunzel. If you try to run, I will always find you. I know this labyrinth like a map in my mind, and I have my Apparition." She grabbed onto Rapunzel's wrist violently and picked up Hiccup, teleporting them someplace deep within the temple.

* * *

It had been a long time running from Mor'du. Merida and Jack never got the beast off of their tails, but they still had plenty of energy left in them. Merida kept a sharp eye ready in case the White Death appeared before them. They had no idea how deep they were in this underground maze. It was now a game of hide-and-seek. They heard the bear nearby, but it could appear from any direction, so they had to be cautious. There were too many turns for them to remember where they came from.

"Jack! Merida!" They heard Hiccup's voice, and they were about to call out until the bear appeared. She dimmed her wand and the Fearling was close, most likely at the other side of the corner.

Mor'du began sniffing and growled even louder. They had been caught.

"Let's go." Jack ran first and slowed down for Merida to be ready. She pulled her bowstring back and shot an arrow at the bear. It didn't work. The arrow shattered the bear, but it the movement appeared like it was dodging the arrow, letting it fly right past.

Merida ducked and it was Jack's turn to fight. This whole time he was charging his Core Magic. The red flames went over Merida and spread onto Mor'du. It wasn't like before how it somehow resembled a lion, but it was still stronger than Xander's.

Mor'du was slowly crumbling and Merida tried to finish it off with the Fire-Making Charm. There was no effect because the Core Magic slowly burning the beast blocked it off. There was nothing else for them to do now other than run. Mor'du was soon going to recover.

The White Death appeared in front of them, unpleased that one of her creatures was suffering. She angrily waved her hand in front of them and the floor below them collapsed, sending them into complete darkness.


	22. Impure Soul

Merida and Jack fell into a room from the ceiling. The rubble had given them a rough landing and soon it floated above them, filling up the gap caused by magic. The walls here were also decorated with strange runes of many languages. Torches were more frequent to keep the illumination higher than the corridors. The room had a pedestal at the back of the room. A black gem floated on top like a trophy worthy to brag about.

"Jack! Merida! You guys all right?" Hiccup tried to move closer to them, but he had forgotten that he was bound to Rapunzel. The chain that wrapped around the two's waists was tight, feeling like it constricted them more if they struggled or panicked.

"Are they here?" asked Rapunzel as she tried turning her head around to see them.

Merida slowly got up and tried to recover quickly before any of the two witches came. They were where the White Death wanted them to be. She quickly took a step and felt a shooting pain in her ankle. Jack, on the other hand, was fine, despite being covered in dust and cuts like Merida.

"Did she get you guys too?"

"I'm guessing you can't see the chains around us, Jack." Hiccup answered. "The White Death conjured these chains after Rapunzel's mother caught us. They're made of Black Sand."

Gothel appeared in the middle of the room, along with Black Sand gathering next to her. The figure of the White Death emerged from the cloud of Black Sand and snapped her fingers, brightening the flaming torches.

Merida ignored the situation in front of her and kept her eyes fixated on the black gem. It was definitely the Horcrux, and it was the top priority in ending the curse. She had no way of destroying it on the spot unless arrows or a spell worked. But Yang's letter stated that there were difficult methods which she and Xander could achieve.

The White Death created chains for Jack and Merida. She then moved the two by dragging the chains towards the already chained.

"So, Gothel, what do you plan on doing with them? I would very much like it if we split them up evenly. Two for each of us would do fine for me."

"No need to be fair. I only have intentions of having one with me." Gothel turned to Rapunzel. "You can corrupt the other three for all I care."

Rapunzel hated everything about that plan. She was not going to waste the rest of her life with her mum. Her mum was evil who had so many plans of living forever. Why on earth would she still want her daughter? Rapunzel guessed that her mother wanted someone to fill the void of loneliness and to abuse whenever she needed someone to blame. Rapunzel was not going to be Gothel's scapegoat.

"I'll never be with you after everything, mother!" Rapunzel faced away from Gothel after she turned to her daughter. An unsettling grin was etched on Gothel's face as she made her way closer to Rapunzel.

"It's not your choice, flower." Gothel grabbed Rapunzel's chin and made her face directly into her mother's soulless eyes.

"The Dark Weapon are experts at wiping out memory. They've done it to many of their troops. They could always do it to her," said the White Death.

"I don't need the Dark Weapon's help with this one. I myself have the knowledge to perform the Memory Charm. I could do it right now since we're at Hogwarts, home to the last Magic Pinnacle."

"So you're still going to turn your back on the Dark Weapon?"

"Of course. They are a large group of delusional people only driven by money. Zigor might have promised me full access to Corona's Potion, but there's no telling when he'll double-cross me, especially with that child going up the ranks. Darkcharm was only a troop like the two traitors. It's only a matter of time before Darkcharm uses his Corruption on Zigor."

"There's another?!" shouted the White Death. Black Sand came out of her palms as she was fired up with the taste of competition.

"Oh, you thought you were special? Don't forget Pitch Black has the same Semblance as you as well." Gothel stood back up and left Rapunzel's space. "Darkcharm has full intentions of destroying Hogwarts to kill all wizards. After that, he'll go after me and Rapunzel. Corona's Potion _is_ the only cure for Corruption Magic."

"Well when I leave this wretched place, I will infect the entire school and take Tsar Lunar's greatest treasure. Legends say it's a powerful potion capable of making one become as strong as he is. When I enslave the world, I'll show Darkcharm who has got the stronger Semblance."

The White Death's tone was growing more aggressive. The Black Sand she had conjured was about to strike the four students, but Gothel diffused her.

"That's my daughter you're aiming at!"

* * *

Lunar remained standing in the Astronomy Tower. The battle with the centaurs was over, but the students had not returned from their trip into the White Death's temple. What's worse was that Tooth, Mansnoozie, and Moonhaven had not returned either. They were either helping the students face the White Death and Gothel or they were dealing with Bunny. If any of those plans had failed, then Pitch and Thorburn would fix it all. They've been quite reliable all these years. But now that Pitch and Thorburn were taking matters into their own hands, it was about time their cover was exposed.

The Ministry would not approve of Pitch and Thorburn helping out, as Lunar had promised to let the Ministry handle everything. Since they were slowly crumbling and losing authority, they wanted Lunar and the professors to let them handle all situations to gain the respect of the wizarding world—at least whatever was left of it. Lunar allowing Pitch, Thorburn, as well as their fourth member, to act in the shadows would make the Ministry look bad.

The sound of whooshing grabbed Lunar's attention and a portal appeared from behind him. He could see the distorted image of North's workshop as North crossed the portal.

"Time's up, Tsar. The students need to leave the castle using my portals and Bunny's tunnels."

"I can't right now. We're at the most stressful part of the plan. Students have left into the forest to handle it themselves and the professors are sidetracked in their mission, which is why I sent Pitch and Ingrid to take care of it."

"Sidetracked? Who is getting sidetracked?" asked North.

"Tooth, Sandy, and Tara are meant to look for the temple to find the witch's Horcrux. But after recent events, they're now looking for Bunny."

"What happened to Bunny? Is he okay?" North avoided the thought that was at the back of his head. There was a reason why he worried the entire time he was gone.

North had to keep his hand tied, and in order for this entire plan from Lunar to work, everything had to happen within Hogwarts. The Ministry wouldn't be pleased to hear that plots were happening behind their backs.

"Bunny has been infected with Black Sand. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do except to capture him for now."

"For now? And what exactly happens when we find out nothing can cure Corruption Magic? When the curse lifts, where do you think the Creatures of Corruption go? You said this was going to all happen in less than a month. It's well over six months!"

"I have it all under control. You did as I told you and alerted Dunbroch of what to expect?"

"I did," answered North. "They're outside the curse as we speak. Magic is making them unable to enter the smoke though."

"Good." The Headmaster headed down the Astronomy Tower. If for whatever slim chance that Tooth's party or the second year students were already in the temple, Lunar had to tell them what they had to go after in case they weren't sure. Tooth would've been after the Horcrux, but the plan was to obtain intelligence on the Dark Weapon; the Prophecy Record was needed. But Lunar had no idea how much the students knew.

"Where are you going?" North asked.

"There are many students in this school with unique talents. It is their hope that keeps the magic here alive. If all the students were to leave, the Astronomy Tower would fall. That's the secret to how this Magic Pinnacle has been standing all these years. But if the plan fails, then we'll evacuate the entire school. Even if the school falls, at least the students will be safe for now. North, which student had the Mirror Semblance?"

* * *

Gothel fired Core Magic on the spikes aiming for Rapunzel. The White Death couldn't move them, not while the Core Magic stayed. Slowly the spike crumbled like when Jack fired his Core Magic at the Fearlings.

"Be at ease, Gothel. I was only scaring the children. The girl is yours so you can be on your merry way now."

"Not until I get what I'm after. Rapunzel and the seer's memories."

"And which memories are you after?" asked the White Death.

"Don't play coy with me. The seer predicted that powerful magic was needed to bring the Dark Weapon to victory. Powerful magic that even Lunar is after to turn the tide"

The White Death took out a Prophecy Record and handed it to Gothel. "How on earth does the creator of magic not know what they are?"

"Because they never existed since his time. Eventually, when time passes, things change and evolve. Around this time, these special object should exist, which is why the Dark Weapon retreated during Year X and have returned now."

The White Death was about to let Rapunzel go, but as soon as that happened, it was going to be all over for Merida, Hiccup, and Jack. They needed more time to think of something before that.

"You don't scare me," said Merida. The White Death glared at Merida, interested that she was challenging her. "You're nothing but a myth. You died years ago, so you're only a memory."

"I am very much alive! The three of you will be my first test subjects." The witch kneeled down in front of Merida. "Not afraid? Maybe before you join your friends, I'll put you in a nightmare to show you what to be truly afraid of. Even in this state, I was able to cast the nightmares to the students in the castle. I placed most of it on the Princess of Arendelle so she'd let me out. She had an Orange Dusk Crystal in her pocket to crack open the earth to free me, but the Sandman and his Dreamsand had snapped her out of the nightmare."

Hiccup had his wand in his hand this very whole time. He was attempting to use the Incendio Charm nonverbally to burn the chain binding them. These chains were not metal, but Black Sand. If his spells worked on the Fearlings, then the chain would be affected too. The only problem was the lack of flames. Nonverbal spells were harder than he thought, and time was running out. Last time it was unintentional.

Hiccup then remained alert with his surrounding. Most of the room wasn't dark, so he could make things out clearly. The objects in the room would've been out of his reach anyway unless these chains disappeared. Rapunzel, Jack, and Merida were behind him back to back, so he didn't know what they were thinking. With the White Death focussed on Merida, she wouldn't see the wand in any of their hands. Hiccup moved the wand in Jack's hands, poking Jack to let him know it was intentional. There was no way for Jack to know what Hiccup wanted him to cast, but if it was only Jack that Hiccup wanted to hand the wand to, then he knew it was Core Magic that was needed.

Jack didn't know how to cast Core Magic nonverbally, but now that the White Death was about to do something with her Semblance, he had to say it out loud anyway. Hiccup wasn't only thinking about Jack. He had also remembered that Merida had a necklace that reacted whenever it was near Core Magic.

"Energius Reducto." Red Core Magic avoided the students and moved outside of Jack's control. Merida's necklace gleamed white and the Core Magic escaped in many bolts of fire.

One of the bolts of red flames headed near Gothel. The White Death stepped back to avoid them. Gothel had no idea what was going on with the Core Magic, so she charged her own to fire at the students. All it was going to do to them was knock them out.

The stream of yellow headed towards the students, but it wrapped around them as if a force field was shielding them. Even the four had forgotten that they were safe because of the White Dusk Crystal. The sphere of Gothel's Core Magic remained, and Rapunzel knew how to escape as long as Merida remained still.

Rapunzel was on the opposite side of Merida, so she pulled herself forward. The chains were too tight, but she kept on struggling. Hiccup helped her while Merida and Jack stayed put since they weren't tied to the other two. Merida saw the White Death keeping her eyes on Gothel, telling her to stop the Core Magic because it was doing nothing. That was when they felt the chains loosen when the White Death wasn't paying attention to them. With one more shove, Rapunzel's shoulder and elbow poked through the flames, and the chains were breaking apart.

Gothel stopped the Core Magic and Hiccup broke Merida and Jack's chain. They all got up and dispersed. Gothel fired a spell at Jack, causing the floor to explode after he dodged it. The Blasting Curse was dangerous and caused anything that made contact with it explode. The fire from the explosion had barely touched Jack. Jack was now in front of Gothel after the explosion and he saw the Prophecy Record in her other hand. He had to take it if it really will grant victory for the Dark Weapon.

Jack lunged at Gothel, but all he did was pass through a distorting figure. He landed on the ground and saw that Gothel had Disapparated before he made contact with her.

Rapunzel's left arm was numb by Gothel's Core Magic. She grabbed the last potion in her hand and aimed towards Gothel and the White Death, but hesitated. It was then when Jack got Gothel to disappear that Rapunzel threw it when Jack got out of the way. The potion exploded, making the White Death flee and giving them a chance to escape.

"What now?" asked Jack. His eyes followed Merida's hand and saw that she pointed at the strange black gem floating on the pedestal. Jack nodded and quickly took the gem. They now had to escape the temple. "What about that thing Gothel took?"

"Don't worry about it. We just have to get the Horcrux to Yang so she'll destroy it. Ending the curse is far more important," said Merida.

"But Gothel said the Dark Weapon will win when they see what's inside that orb!" Jack retorted.

"I know you want to do whatever it takes to stop them, but this is all out of our hands."

Hiccup placed his hand on Jack's shoulder to show reassurance. "Let's just get out of here and take that gem to Yang. I'm sure she and the professors will know what to do."

Jack nodded and led the way. Merida's foot was still injured, so Hiccup helped her because Rapunzel was still affected by Core Magic.

* * *

No activity had been heard around the mystifying forest. Even if one was to trek through the fog, strange magic was preventing anyone from entering and leaving. Only elaborate cave networks were the solution for travellers, as they provided a shield from the mist, but getting to those proved difficult for the students that tried escaping. Monsters infected in the mist were commanded to guard the escape routes and to test the abilities of any potential escapee.

Although not an escapee, the corrupted Bunnymund dashed through the misty forest to lure his pursuers. He couldn't feel anything, even though he was sending them to danger. There was nothing but the creeping darkness in his body which he couldn't control.

The monster observed his surroundings and kept an eye near the bushes. Sounds were drawing near. Enemies were coming. It only took a split second for him to realise the smoke parting and giving way for a slither of gold to land on his face. The golden whips snaked around his neck and kept him at bay. Another two streams of Dreamsand gently wrapped around his body before solidifying into ropes. The infected Bunnymund could do nothing but watch his enemies arrive while his body made a crash to the ground.

Tooth rushed for Bunnymund. There was no time to waste now that they finally got him. Mansnoozie held the ropes tight and conjured a stopwatch above his head to show the importance to time. Moonhaven only watched from afar, controlling the plants around them to provide cover, as they were still in a dangerous region.

"Bunny, listen to me." Tooth knelt in front of him, trying to ignore how much the curse affected Bunnymund. This was nothing like his Pooka form. There were never long fangs where his teeth were and his eyes didn't glow so yellow like Pitch's. He growled at her and drooled like a feral wolf. He was beyond recognition as she was to him. "You're still in there somewhere, and I know you can hear me."

Moonhaven warned the two that there was activity nearby. Things were rustling and drawing closer. The last line of defence was Moonhaven's plants, which were utilised by misdirecting the creatures.

Tooth heard a burning sound, like hot metal cauterising flesh. The golden ropes were hurting Bunnymund, reacting horribly with his black fur. Black Sand and Dreamsand never mixed well. Tooth didn't want Bunnymund to endure any more pain as the sounds escaping his mouth were becoming more and more desperate.

"It's okay, Bunny." Tooth assured while placing her hand on his forehead to coax him down. It appeared to work because Bunnymund calmed down a little. Tears were now coming from the monster's eyes. Anger had vanished and fear took over Bunnymund. It was now Tooth's touch that frightened him. Tooth ignored everything and focussed only on Bunnymund, trying to get him to remember her. What she didn't see was Mansnoozie's stopwatch above his head, ticking rapidly and stretching to exaggerate his warning. Time was nearly up before these ropes of golden sand were to fall apart.

"This isn't you, Bunny. You said it yourself. You've been in this form for a very long time because you've been afraid of being seen as a weak person. After Year X, you stopped relying on your Animagus so you could embrace the real you. You told me that you didn't need any walls of defence when I was around. Bunny, you don't have to be afraid right now. I'm right here." Bunnymund could feel the weakness in the Dreamsand. He took this opportunity to escape the bind. The beast sprung up and made the Dreamsand crumble. Following that motion, Bunnymund pushed Tooth backwards, landing her head on a boulder without care.

Moonhaven and Mansnoozie began to help this time, but something about Bunnymund made it look like he wasn't going to hurt Tooth. Tooth was unconscious as expected after a hit like that on her head. The singes on Bunnymund's fur and hide were obvious and gradually healing thanks to the side effects of Black Sand.

Blood was trickling down the boulder. The crimson liquid dripped into the grass, seeping in like a toxic chemical. The person who reached out to him—even when he was at his worst—was hurt, and it was all his fault. This person was Tooth, whom he spent centuries getting to know.

Bunnymund got off Tooth, so Moonhaven quickly got to her before an unfortunate event was to follow, like Bunnymund taking her body someplace else.

Mansnoozie kept his guard up and watched as Bunnymund collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain. The monster was groaning in discomfort and morphed into a smaller form. Bunnymund was back to his human form, but the symptoms of an infected were still present. Bunnymund's skin was still grey rather than tan. His eyes were flaring with a bright yellow like his previous form. Black veins were more noticeable on this form now that the fur had disappeared. Bunnymund slowly pushed himself up as his mind was slowly clearing. He struggled to endure the pain.

A black explosion erupted from Bunnymund and Black Sand streamed out of his back. Another stream of the darkness appeared and then a third. Bunnymund was now screaming in pain and fell unconscious. The Black Sand flew above the trees and circulated them, morphing into a Fearling and ready to find its next target.

Moonhaven commanded the forest to help her carry both Bunnymund and Tooth. Bunnymund's skin colour returned back to normal and it was assumed that all of the Corruption Magic had left his body. The result of the professor changing back to his human form confused the Fearling, which was what Pitch Black predicted. Their problem now was to make sure Bunnymund and Tooth were treated. Now that the Black Sand had left Bunny, nothing could heal the wounds on his back after basically ripping through his skin to escape the vessel. Moonhaven conjured a few plants that had leaves containing healing properties. They were just enough to keep the two stable for now.

The Fearling dove back into the forest but was destroyed by Mansnoozie. His touch automatically transformed the Fearling into pure Dreamsand. This made their location exposed to all the creatures in the forest.

"Where now? If we head back, we fail the mission and the kids might be in danger. If we go to them then we might risk Bunny and Tooth's life."

Mansnoozie shrugged his shoulders.


	23. Liberating the Horcrux

Merida and her friends stayed close together while finding a way out of the never-ending maze. Whenever they found an intersection, they were greeted with more intersections. They weren't going in circles as they noticed different textures and carvings on the stone walls—that or they were only just noticing these differences now.

They then reached a path with no walls, only an abyss on both sides. The path was wide enough for them to cross without falling or sensing the fear of heights creeping up to them.

"Everyone good? Not afraid of heights?" questioned Jack as he remained behind Hiccup and Merida.

"Maybe," replied Hiccup. He peered down the void and was warned by Merida that she'd fall if he leant too far. The grip around his neck was loosening as she endured and grew tolerant to the pain in her ankle.

"You're afraid of heights too, Hiccup?" asked Rapunzel.

"Well, being afraid of dragons and barely learning how to fly a broomstick causes these things."

"That's true." They were just about to finish their way to the next part of the temple until a loud wail erupted from the dark void. Merida and the others covered their ears and crouched low when the cry grew louder. They felt a strong force pushing against them like wind, so they crawled their way through until the walls were within their reach.

"Was that her?" Nobody replied to Jack as it could've been anything. They picked up the pace and found themselves in a tunnel with finger-sized holes covering the walls and ceiling.

Continuing through new areas was probably a bad idea as they wanted to find a familiar place to find their way out. But they were chased and could not memorise anything recognisable to them.

Hiccup stopped in his tracks and got everyone to stay quiet. Other than the ambient noise, they heard a voice calling for them.

"Jack Overland, Princess Merida, Rapunzel Gothel, Hiccup Haddock, Toothiana, Tara Moonhaven, Sanderson Mansnoozie, follow our voice and tell us you hear."

It kept on repeating, and it was a voice they've heard before. They sped up even more now and got to an intersection. The voice was coming from the right so they headed there, finding many bright speckles on the walls. The deeper they got, the larger these glints became, until they were reflective enough for them to see themselves.

"Mirrors?" commented Rapunzel while shining her light on one of them. There was nothing wrong with these mirrors. For a mirror that came from a magical temple, they would've expected some twist to happen in their reflections.

Rapunzel's reflection then faded and she could see the cobblestone walls like from Hogwarts. There were also several people standing in the reflections, which got the others to stand behind Rapunzel and watch.

"Rapunzel?" The figure became clear and it was Hans, standing in the Headmaster's office with Professor Lunar and Professor North.

"Hans? Can you see us?" asked Rapunzel.

"Oh thank goodness. It's good to see the four of you unharmed."

"Actually one of us has sprained an ankle," said Merida.

"So it seems. I'll let Lunar and North speak with you right now." Hans moved to the side and disappeared from the mirror's view.

"Do the four of you hear us loud and clear?" asked Lunar. The four nodded. "Good. In case you're wondering how this is possible, Hans has a unique ability called a Semblance, which allows him to create a connection through mirrors. Of course, crossing them is impossible, so I'm sorry to say that you'll need to find the exit on your own. It's too dangerous for you four to continue."

"But we found the Horcrux," Jack held up the black gem, pleased with the look of surprise in both of the professors' faces.

"You were able to take on the White Death?" asked Lunar.

"Yes," replied Hiccup, ignoring the fact that the Headmaster knew who the witch was. "She's still alive, but when we get the Horcrux out, the curse will finally end."

Professor Lunar turned and began a private conversation with North. They noticed the expression of concern on North as he finally agreed to something with Lunar.

"If that's the case then we need you four to do something for us."

They glanced at each other and Jack shrugged his shoulders. "What is it?"

"There's something in the temple we're after. It's a Prophecy Record. It contains information useful for us in the future."

"To stop the Dark Weapon?" queried Merida. "We know that they're back after one hundred years. You don't need to hide it from us."

"Very well," said Lunar. "If the four of you do succeed, then I need you to keep quiet about the Dark Weapon. It's hope and belief we rely on from the students. If we were to tell everyone about the Dark Weapon, it'd cause panic. And you know what panic creates?"

"Stronger Fearlings. We know," said Merida. She remembered there was another who was able to conjure Black Sand. There was no doubt the professors knew about Darkcharm as well.

"Correct. So I want you four to get that Prophecy Record for us. You don't even need to face the White Death. There will be help outside the temple. Professor Toothiana, Mansnoozie, and Moonhaven should be outside with you to escape."

"But Professor Lunar, the Prophecy Record—" Rapunzel stopped Jack midway.

"Yes? The record?"

"The Prophecy Record… we passed it earlier. We thought it wasn't important, so we skipped it. We'll go back to get it, but so far we're lost," said Rapunzel, which shocked her friends.

"So you have yet to figure out that the tunnels have been changing. You haven't noticed that the tunnels have different themes?" asked Lunar.

"Cobweb, nothingness, mirrors, holes… The tunnels contain different fears." Hiccup said.

"That's right. The temple is the epitome of fear. It's adapting to the intruders, trying to figure out the fear for each one of you, but that's what caused the confusion to occur. It would've been a lot easier if there was only one person to enter it."

"So how does that help us?" asked Merida.

"Think of something and pretend to be afraid of it. You may not notice it, but mankind is afraid of everything in a way. Whatever was near the place you saw the Prophecy Record has something to be afraid of. If you all share it, then the temple will lead you there."

The students remained silent and thought silently on how they'd get back to the Prophecy Record, but they couldn't because Gothel had taken it. Maybe Rapunzel was waiting to explain her plan to them.

"We'll do our best," said Rapunzel.

Professor Lunar nodded and North stepped closer to the mirror. "Good luck."

The reflection disappeared, and the rest turned to Rapunzel.

"So what's been on your head while Lunar was talking?" asked Merida.

* * *

Footsteps approached closer to the room that had the black gem. Students were returning to the most dangerous part of the temple.

The White Death had waited for them as she could sense the tunnels somehow leading the students back to where they began. It was going to be different this time because Gothel's child had no more potions to use against her. Once they entered the room, the White Death was going to unleash an unforgivable barrage of Fearlings on them for taking her Horcrux.

The witch vanished into the darkness, waiting for the four students to come. She saw their shadows appearing near the entrance. Cackling, the White Death emerged from behind but saw that there were only two students.

 _If we go back, the White Death will try and take her Horcrux back. Merida can't run well, so I guess Jack and I are going._

Rapunzel and Jack parted. Jack fired his Core Magic at the White Death, but in an instant, Jack was already overpowered by the witch.

The White Death filled the room with Black Sand and fired them at Jack. His Core Magic was enough to block out most of them, but soon he'd be overwhelmed. As rash as it sounded, Rapunzel used this opportunity to run into the Black Sand. She hoped the plan would work, otherwise, she'd end up like Professor Bunnymund.

A hand grabbed Rapunzel and yanked her back. Rapunzel sealed her eyes shut in the process and hoped everything worked out the way she thought it would. She couldn't help but tear up as she had never felt so strong before.

"Rapunzel?" Rapunzel opened her eyes and saw her mother staring back at her. She was back in her mother's arms and somehow felt safe. She clutched onto Gothel tighter and shocked the woman. Gothel didn't know how to react despite the seriousness of the situation. Her friend was about to get hurt, and all Rapunzel could think of was how happy she was to be with her family.

"Mother." Rapunzel's voice was blocked but heard through Gothel's shoulders. Rapunzel looked back up with a bright smile, very warm too. Gothel then sensed a force in that smile. It was a fake one. Rapunzel swung her arms and threw the Prophecy Record to the Black Sand.

 _It's me and Jack because Jack knows Core Magic. It's going to be useful when the White Death appears again. I'm going because Mother needs me alive for some reason, and to get the Prophecy Record—_

 _You'll need Gothel to come back! So you're luring her._

 _It's risky, but somehow I know my mother. She hasn't left the temple yet, but she doesn't know where I am at the moment, so she'll watch the White Death in case she finds us._

Gothel threw Rapunzel aside and saw the Prophecy Record about to be destroyed. She now figured out that Rapunzel had faked her love to get Gothel here. The record was going to be used to get Gothel to save Jack. If she allowed the boy to be hurt, the record would be collateral.

Gothel waved her wand at the White Death to stop the stream of Black Sand, which the record was about to fly into. The White Death sensed this and shielded herself, stopping the Black Sand in the process.

Jack jumped forward and grabbed the Prophecy Record. It was warm in Jack's hand and he saw a swirling mist in the orb unlike Yang's, which was clear.

The White Death didn't do anything further other than watch the confrontation between Jack and Gothel. The witch held out her hand. "Give me the Prophecy, or you will never leave this place."

Jack now had a choice. If he gave it to Gothel, then she'd simply disappear with Rapunzel and leave the White Death to kill or control him. If he refused, Gothel would take it by force and the situation will be the same. Running away might've been different while using Core Magic to defend himself, but Rapunzel wouldn't have been able to read his mind, so she'd be taken away. Even if Rapunzel would've preferred that outcome, he wouldn't forgive himself for that. Luckily Merida had a suggestion.

* * *

"I'm all out of ideas, guys. If everything went as planned, then Gothel would still be after me. Not to mention that Rapunzel will have a low chance of escaping."

"If it means stopping the Dark Weapon, then I'm fine with that," said Rapunzel.

"No, you're not." Jack scolded, face turning paler.

Merida ignored the bickering and remembered what Yang wrote in the letter. If she hadn't remembered, then Yang would've been deeply disappointed with Merida and her friends—not that whatever she thought about her and her friends mattered. But it sounded like Yang had known about these things for much longer, and a lot of planning had been done, unlike Merida's team.

 _Make sure that doesn't leave the temple. I don't want that in anyone's hands. It's already caused so much damage._

Yang did have a point. Anything related to the Dark Weapon led to so much destruction. If Merida explained this to her friends, then they'd agree. The curse and the Burgess Sweep were the examples that affected them all.

"Do neither, Jack." Merida added.

* * *

Jack was about to hand the orb to Gothel. He was already inclined to not hand it over. Jack rotated his wrist, and the orb rolled off his palm. The shout of despair came from Gothel as she aimed her wand at the orb to stop it from making impact with the ground, but she was too late.

The shatter was heard and Jack used this sudden pause to help Rapunzel up and escape. Neither Gothel nor the White Death moved, but the cloudy mist from the Prophecy Record filled the entire room, clouding Jack and Rapunzel's vision. It was like the mist in the forest, a marvellous yet spine-chilling spectacle.

Jack and Rapunzel remained calm and observed what they saw in the smoke.

They could see rows of people walking in an orderly fashion. The one on the far left had red flames surrounding his body. Slowly, the flames were leaving that person and then passing onto the adjacent. The first figure then disintegrated, as if their existence was no longer valuable. The process repeated until the last figure contained the flames; it was like a storm of rose petals. The entire vision changed to something else.

The clouds filled to three assortments of colour: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow. The colours spun and slowly merged to create another three colours in-between: Red, Green, Blue. The display was dazzling as it was like watching a rainbow. The six colours then fused and turned into nothing but darkness, which snuffed out the happiness. A black crystal was left in the vision after the smog compacted itself to the centre. The crystal reeked of dread and emptiness. A tiny speck of light then emerged and overpowered the black crystal. It was a beautiful white gem, like Merida's, cold but elegant. Beautiful colours from the rainbow floated around the gem, like fire.

The gem disappeared and they then saw the starry night sky. The mist was hardly seen and Jack and Rapunzel saw Gothel and the White Death, watching the vision with them. A large black shadow flew past them. The sky then started to rain dark particles. The beast was hardly visible in the sky as it released a loud screech. That was when they heard the creature approaching, and an explosion of purple changed the entire vision altogether.

The fourth and final vision was the sun. It wasn't realistic, as it was shaped like Corona's crest. The sun then glowed into a piercing gold. The sun was no longer there, but what it left behind was a raindrop, which landed on the soil, growing into a splendid looking flower. This yellow flower released pollen that glowed like glitter. Unfortunately not everything beautiful lasted forever. The flower was soon taken by a hand, which was then followed by a myriad of others. The embracing glow was covered and the mist returned.

The mist disappeared and the room reverted to its original state. Gothel knew exactly what she was after seeing those images, which meant destroying the Prophecy Record was probably a bad idea.

"The princess… her necklace." They hoped Gothel didn't figure that part out. If any of the vision made sense to Jack and Rapunzel, it was that Merida's necklace was that white crystal, the White Dusk Crystal.

Rapunzel waved her wand and caused a soft gust, blowing out the torches that illuminated the room. She carefully remembered the layout of the room and grabbed Jack. She created light from her wand and they were running through the corridor. Behind them, the White Death used magic to make the remnants of the orb fly and strike the two.

"Glacius." The ice spell fired from Jack's wand and caused the shards to slow down. His spell wasn't strong enough to completely stop them. But the suspended glass was obliterated anyway when the White Death dashed towards them.

* * *

"Where are they?" asked Hiccup.

Outside the temple was empty. No professors had arrived to help them. If Jack and Rapunzel had the White Death or Gothel chasing them then they'd be in a lot of trouble when they escape.

"Maybe the professors got sidetracked. It doesn't matter anyway. The real problem is Jack and Rapunzel. What if the plan didn't work? Jack used a lot of Core Magic before we got to the Callanish Stones, so he's very weak."

"He could just use other spells, Merida."

"That's not true! Core Magic is only found in wizards. Wands are what translates it into a spell. Our incantations and wand movements alter Core Magic, turning it into magic."

"So Core Magic is the source of our magic? Why does it have an incantation then?" asked Hiccup.

"Beats me. But if Jack's Core Magic is almost finished, then his normal spells become weak too."

Hiccup saw the head of Jack and Rapunzel appear from the stairs. With their slow ascend, the two could see that Jack and Rapunzel were unconscious, floating because of magic. Jack and Rapunzel's sleeping bodies parted and the two students saw the White Death controlling them with her arms.

"Jack! Rapunzel!" Merida towards them, but a Fearling appeared from the ground in front of her. It all happened too fast for her mind to comprehend that she didn't even feel Hiccup dragging her away from the Fearling.

"Not so fast. You two have something that belongs to me." Extending her pale and bony hand to them, she demanded, "Give it back, or they both die."

Normally Merida would be the one refusing the offer, but the White Death was not joking. This heinous witch was eager to kill all the students. Merida was the one that kept the Horcrux in her pocket, so she was going to hand it over. Hiccup wasn't going to argue with her decision anyway.

Merida had to be cautious and smart about this. It was good that Merida's ankle was slowing her down, so she'd have time to think about it. Even if Merida returned the Horcrux, what was stopping the White Death from killing them all? She then noticed something off about the White Death. The witch's arm that was held out was trembling. Her breathing was growing heavier as well. She was afraid, afraid of death.

"Please," the White Death looked more desperate, and Merida noticed the tears growing above her eyelids. For some reason, Merida felt better that she was giving it back, even though it meant their entire mission was a fail, and to make things worse, Gothel had seen what was in the Prophecy Record, which Merida was supposed to avoid.

The black gem rolled off of Merida's hand and landed on the White Death's. As soon as it made contact, the witch's fingers wrapped around the Horcrux, like a child grabbing their toy away from others who wanted to share.

Merida slowly reached out for her wand, trying to think of a spell that would surprise the White Death, so they'd save their friends, but nothing came to mind. Merida was then thinking about trying to cast Core Magic. Only Jack was able to, but he was unconscious, and his body exhausted most of it already. Before Merida acted, the White Death spoke.

"Thank you… thank you." The White Death clutched onto the Horcrux and held it close to her chest. The other arm made a small wave in the air, and Jack and Rapunzel were free. The Fearlings around them also backed away.

Merida was completely speechless to see this from the White Death. She actually freed Jack and Rapunzel, whose lives were worth completely nothing to her. But she still let them go. Merida and Hiccup got to Jack and Rapunzel. They were waking up after the fall.

The students heard a noise, and an explosion happened to where the White Death was. Merida and her friends were just about to leave, but it appeared that they weren't alone. The smoke cleared and they saw Professor Moonhaven standing a few metres from the White Death.

"Students, step away from the area. It won't be safe any longer." Moonhaven never had a wand, instead, she cast all of her magic with her hands.

To the direction they were headed, Professor Mansnoozie stood, waiting for them to join him. They couldn't stand near the temple anymore now that a battle was beginning. Next to Mansnoozie were Tooth and Bunnymund. They were shocked to see that he was still alive, but he was injured just like Tooth. Merida and her friends remained quiet to spectate Moonhaven and the evil witch.

"You come here uninvited and try starting a fight with me?! Die! Die! Die!" The White Death summoned more Fearlings and made them surround Moonhaven.

Moonhaven conjured a large leaf beneath her, making it spring up to provide her with a boost. The Fearlings followed her in the air and attempted to strike her, but Moonhaven was faster than them. She had controlled smaller leaves to follow her as she spun back down and caused the leaves to behave in a similar fashion, slicing through the Fearlings that got in the way. Moonhaven landed back down violently and forced the leaves to spread out, taking out the Fearlings that remained on the ground. The last move Moonhaven did was fire a spell from her hand at the White Death, but it was blocked.

"Idiot! Your spells can't kill me! I have learnt spells dating a hundred years ago." The White Death recreated the Fearlings and formed them into one large creature. It spanned above everyone and developed its own appearance. The head of a colossal figure towered over the Callanish Stones. Large bat ears sprouted from the head and they could now see that it was Moonhaven's fear.

"Mandrake," said Moonhaven as she quickly avoided the crushing fist of the giant Fearling. It was an unexpected time for her to face her main adversary after many years.

The White Death fired a spell at Moonhaven while she wasn't paying attention. She stumbled to the ground and then saw the Fearling crash down on her, but somehow it didn't harm her.

When the Black Sand parted and gathered away from them, they saw Pitch Black and Ingrid Thorburn walking into the clearing.

"Now, now. Is that a way to welcome your guest?" Black grinned and looked at his hand that held the shrunken Fearling, assuming the appearance of Mandrake. He chuckled and crushed it with his own hand, sprinkling the remains on the ground.

"You… you killed my child!" The White Death screamed until she was out of air. She wasn't going to let this slide so easily. "We fought together in Year X! Tsar Lunar and that old hag next to you were our nemeses. They focused on destroying us, and we were going to be the only users of magic! We killed two members of their team, so why are you now their lapdog?"

Professor Black held up his index finger and shook his head. "We were never a team. It was mainly a teacher and student relationship. I weighed the odds and decided that saving magic is a far comfortable choice. Do you honestly believe that mere Horcrux will save you when magic is wiped from the globe?"

The White Death fired a black spike made at Pitch. He simply stopped the projectile by stopping it before it struck his forehead.

"Unfortunately you're no match for me. You must not forget that I'm the original Corruption user. Everything you use against me will backfire to you." Pitch stepped to the side and bowed down slightly. "The good news for you is you _do_ have a challenger. But let me warn you that this 'old hag' will still beat you."

Professor Thorburn stepped up and snapped her fingers. The sky darkened like it was about to rain and the wind began stirring up. "Tara, your fight is over now. Move aside so you won't get in the way of a witch fight."

Moonhaven did as she was told, but she didn't like how easy it was for her to be considered so useless. She was the Deputy Headmistress, and yet the Divinations professor was handling the problem with ease.


	24. No Place Like Home

A bolt of electricity struck the ground, creating a tremor and setting the grass on fire. Professor Thorburn used her wand that resembled a bone and made the flames grow, covering the sky. A large fireball fell to the White Death as she shielded herself with magic. There was no chance that the White Death used all she had against Merida and her friends. She was definitely holding back just because they were children.

A blue spell fired from the evil witch's fingertips and it broke the cloud of fire above. She then made it swirl into a vortex, directing it to Thorburn. The battle continued and the two were evenly matched. They fired a barrage of spells at each other, and Thorburn caught the White Death by surprise by firing the projectile made up of Black Sand, which Pitch was still holding above his hand.

The White Death countered it by firing two spells. One was to break the Black Sand; the second was going to hide behind that one to trick Thorburn. It worked, and the second spell successfully landed a hit on the professor. The red spell had disarmed Thorburn, making her powerless.

"How are you going to fight without your magic," said the witch while creating some Fearlings. "Even if you knew wandless magic, it still isn't as strong as your magic with the wand."

Professor Thorburn backed away like she was cornered. Professor Black looked like he wasn't going to help, so Moonhaven and Mansnoozie were about to assist. Thorburn stopped against a tree and smiled. "You really need to know how to fight whenever you're away from Hogwarts."

A gentle tap on the trunk made the tree contort. The bark was shedding off and the leaves fell like it was autumn. Two branches turned into thick stout arms and the roots sprouted legs of the same thickness and length. The entire tree uprooted and a round head formed along with a pair of menacing eyes. The tree itself was like a perfectly carved figure of a bear.

"The connection with the wand is split when you're away from Hogwarts, yes. But a Semblance is within the wizard, and it never disconnects." She snapped her finger and the wooden figure attacked the Fearlings the White Death had just cooked up. Using this time as a distraction, Professor Thorburn picked up her wand and pointed it at the White Death. Her face then turned blank as she tapped her head with a sudden realisation. "Oh silly me. It turns out I've never practised enough dark magic to make Fiendfyre. Pitch, be a team player and do the honours of killing her."

"My pleasure." Black grinned and took out his wand. Red flames appeared and a serpent formed from the flames. It wasn't Core Magic because Professor Black's would've been green as he was a Slytherin. Fiendfyre was a bewitched flame that burnt everything in its path, unlike Core Magic, which only burnt away energy.

The next flick of Black's wand summoned the shape of a phoenix from the flames. It headed to the White Death, who had the Horcrux on her. What was happening was confusing for Rapunzel and Jack, as they had no idea what Fiendfyre was. They started to believe that Pitch Black was a Gryffindor the whole time but seeing the fire burn the grass destructively and a phoenix appearing from the fire instead of a lion confused them even more.

"Core Magic?" asked Jack.

"No, Professor Thorburn said she needed Fiendfyre." Hiccup answered. "Fiendfyre is dangerous and only wizards experienced in dark magic can cast it. You can easily lose control of it."

"Why Fiendfyre specifically?" asked Rapunzel. A sudden burst of the Fiendfyre got the four students to cover their face from the heat.

"Fiendfyre is one of the only things that can destroy a Horcrux." Merida said.

The White Death created a barrier of Black Sand, as it was the only thing she was strong enough to control. Most of the fire was held back, so she quickly fled into the temple.

They were going to run out of time, especially if the White Death had a way to close the entrance.

"I need something to break the barrier. Something sharp will suffice so the Fiendfyre will seep through." Professor Black continued streaming the bewitched flames.

Merida grabbed her bow and pulled back the string, aiming carefully with it. She could see Moonhaven creating giant roots covered in thorns and slamming the barrier of Black Sand, but it created no dent. If something that strong was to be weak against the Black Sand, then what good was Merida's arrow?

Professor Mansnoozie created Dreamsand and clumped it up on the arrowhead for Merida. She exchanged a look to him as he made the motion with his arms of shooting an arrow. She nodded and waited for the perfect moment to shoot. The White Death was halfway down the steps in the temple, and they could feel the ground vibrating. The entrance was slowly closing.

Merida relaxed her fingers and watched the arrow fly into the mayhem. A small glow of gold twinkled as the Fiendfyre shrunk, penetrating through the barrier and finally obliterating it from both sides. They all watched after the shield went down as the flames made its way through the half-closed entrance, flooding through the corridors. They heard the cry of the witch as the temple crumbled.

A small whirlwind gathered in the clearing, picking up the fog with it. The fog was making a small whisper as it disappeared, like a short goodbye.

* * *

Merida was now in the hospital wing, resting her ankle as Pierce was tending Bunnymund and Tooth. Bunnymund was in a terrible state. Three to four large holes were seen on his back and Pierce did his best to bandage them up. It was lucky that Moonhaven had created temporary bandages made from the leaves she conjured in the forest. Without them, Bunnymund and Tooth would've been in a worse condition.

Their trip back to the school wasn't pleasant either. It took longer than they all had hoped, and reporters from the Daily Prophet had swarmed the Hogwarts grounds, trying to make up headlines about the mysterious 'disappearance' of the school. They had revealed that the mist was seen from the other side. Many of them entered but ended up back to the start. The reporters that made it to the school after the curse ended were the stubborn ones.

Yang was also waiting for them when they entered the castle. She already knew that the Prophecy Record was viewed by Gothel. As long as the White Death was dead, Yang didn't blame Merida for allowing the Dark Weapon to advance forward with their plans. The bad news for them was now they had to get whatever the Prophecy presented before the Dark Weapon. But somehow it made Merida excited for a challenge.

Back at the hospital wing, Pierce reassured that Bunnymund was going to live, but he wasn't sure when he'd wake up. Becoming infected by Fearlings might've caused a lot of trauma on him. Tooth, on the other hand, was in a far better shape. All they had to do now was to see if both were okay after waking up. A strong headache was to be expected. Professor Mansnoozie remained with them to use his Purification. The Dreamsand floated above Bunnymund to give him a pleasant dream—if he was dreaming. Mansnoozie didn't know if it was helping, but surely it would've coaxed Bunnymund and made his waking up less painful.

The next day approached them and it was early in the morning. Professor Lunar stood next to Merida's bed at the hospital wing, asking her everything that happened. She told the truth but kept Yang out of the story. The Headmaster then told her to join him at the Great Hall, where he was going to make an official announcement to the entire school. Merida wasn't so sure she'd get there without pain, but as it turned out, the spell Pierce used on her ankle worked rapidly while she was sleeping.

* * *

The students did not sit at their designated tables. Again, only the Start-of-Term Feast and End-of-Term Feast held the rule of sitting with your own house. But nobody was celebrating nor was anyone excited about the future. Word had already spread about the Dark Weapon.

Two seats were empty at the High Table. It felt incomplete without Bunnymund and Tooth. Most had already seen those two getting carried to the hospital wing, covered with injuries.

Professor Lunar stepped up to the podium with a grim expression. He waited for silence, which was almost instant.

"Everyone, I would like to apologise to you all for what you've all been through. Never in these years since Year X has anything like this happened before. We've heard rumours of their attacks around the world, and we've all lost people we care about…" Professor Lunar glanced to the left and saw North watching him with a particular look. They had made an agreement part of the plan that included North to give his teaching role to Gothel. But how could Lunar agree with this end of the bargain? "But I can assure you all that the Dark Weapon were not behind this at all."

Whispering began from the students. Merida could hear some of them full of relief and confusion. She could understand why the Headmaster had to lie to them all. Smiles were placed on the people at her table, except for Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel, who weren't sure how to react. Merida then saw North filled with disappointment as he left the Great Hall.

"What caused this curse to trap us all was none other than the new Charms professor, who was after selfish desires. It was my fault to have given her this position. I also accept full responsibility for the loss of Elizabeth Allen, the second year student who was unlucky to have been caught in this mess."

The main door was opening and the students saw Gobber, waiting for the Headmaster to continue. He gave a nod to indicate that he was ready.

"One final item to address: Those who believe in those rumours and fear for the future of themselves, their friends, and their family, you may leave Hogwarts today."

Loud chattering started and some even turned into arguments. The choice hit Merida so hard that she was already seeing her future without Hogwarts. It was going to be lonely without her friends, and spending her entire life as a princess was going to be unpleasant.

Merida looked at her friends, hoping they weren't considering the offer, even if it was the wisest. If none of her friends attended Hogwarts anymore then she'd have no choice but to not go either. She already had a taste of being without them during the winter break last year.

She had remembered that Jack was going to leave, even if Professor Lunar wasn't going to offer it. She then had given up hope that all four of them were staying. Not everything was going to be perfect. At least one was going to leave, and she knew who it was.

"Quiet, please. I'm sure some of you had already made up your minds. Stand up and follow Gobber to Hogsmeade. He will escort you to the Hogwarts Express."

Already, people from Merida's year stood up. Jack had not stood up yet, a good sign. They headed to the door, but Merida felt like she had to interfere. She didn't want so many people leaving. She stood up, confusing Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel, thinking she was joining them.

"I'll be back," said Merida. She approached the familiar group of females. It was only four of them, but it was still a lot to lose. Kristine, Ursa, Vanessa, and even Miriam were the group.

"Please don't tell me you're all going?" asked Merida.

Kristine stopped and asked the others to wait. "Sorry, Merida. I told you and Jack that you were the good guys and the rumours were allfalse. Jack isn't part of this so-called Dark Weapon. And you were never that evil witch, even though you were there when the curse began."

"Exactly! It's all false. So why are you leaving?"

"I've questioned myself and asked where I was in this fairytale. There are heroes and villains, but I don't see myself in any of those categories. I'm just an easily forgotten character, and I don't want to end it like that. I want to make my mark in this world, and here is not it." Kristine smiled. Nothing was going to change her mind.

"And what about the three of you? Even if you think the Dark Weapon are back, danger is everywhere. They've attacked places around the world. We're all stronger together at Hogwarts, where the last hope of magic is. Magic needs to be saved if threats like Gothel come back."

"Magic _will_ be saved," replied Ursa. "The stars have told me so. But like what Kristine said, I have no purpose to stay. I've studied Astronomy intensely like how you've practised archery and how Yang studied Divinations. It's not a useful skill in a world like this. You and your friends are the heroes, and it will stay like that until it's over. If I stay, it won't end well for me."

"Just because what the stars told you? You can't always trust a path that's already determined. You have to build your own path." Merida argued.

"This is the path we're building. We don't want to follow the path that's already determined. We don't plan on dying too early," said Ursa.

Merida couldn't convince them any further. Now all she needed to hear was what they planned on doing in the future.

"Miriam?"

Miriam looked at Merida for a second, and then avoided the gaze. "Elizabeth was my best friend. She wanted to stop the curse so everyone she cared for will be safe. I want to avoid danger and live a happy life. I'm from Romania, meaning there are vampires like Mavis around, but they don't scare me as much as living here in fear."

"That's another reason why we're leaving," said Kristine. "All of us are still pretty shaken up about Elizabeth. How could something so cruel happen to someone so sweet and innocent?"

Vanessa Cacklestare, the only Slytherin among those four girls stepped closer to Merida. "Hey, sorry for not getting to know you or Heather better. I doubt we'll see each other again. But good luck to you and the others staying."

Merida nodded. "The same goes for you."

The girls left and Merida turned and saw Yang with her friends, watching carefully to see if Merida was leaving or not. Merida then realised that Jack was behind her most of this time. She was confused and then saw Rapunzel and Hiccup back at their seats. Hiccup was downcast and watching Merida and Jack, while Rapunzel covered her eyes, crying silently.

"No… not you too." Merida shook her head. She thought he had already decided to stay because he was so quiet when the other students were deciding.

"Sorry, Merida. It's the only way for me to take care of Emma. North said—"

"Just go." Merida interrupted. She kept her head down and Jack could see tears falling to the ground. He felt terrible like he was abandoning his own. "Take care of her and don't forget to write."

Jack was relieved she wasn't that angry at him. She still wanted to stay in touch with him, like what he planned to do with Hiccup and Rapunzel. He still felt really bad about Rapunzel. She was devastated seeing him stand up. He turned and saw Rapunzel still crying. It honestly hurt him as much seeing her like that.

Merida felt an arm go around her. Jack pulled her towards him and hugged her tightly. She was glad he did so as she for some reason needed it.

"Don't you worry, Princess. I'll write to you all."

Hans and Elsa were right about the students leaving. Merida had no idea it was this many though. It then occurred to Merida. If Hans and Elsa were so convinced this would happen, what happened before Merida joined Hogwarts to make them think it would repeat?

Jack let Merida go and he waved. He scanned the rest of the Great Hall and saw the others watching. Nod was with his friends, surprised that Jack was leaving. Nod was the one who was more like Merida, trying to keep people together. If Nod were in Jack's place, he'd still stay.

Rapunzel was now watching with tears still in her eyes. She smiled warmly at Jack as he finally left the room, following Gobber and a large group of students who were leaving with him.

* * *

It was only five minutes since the group of students left with Gobber. Nobody had left the Great Hall and only contributed to small and quiet conversations with their friends.

"I wonder what he's going to do while he's gone. You think he'll go back to a Muggle school?" asked Rapunzel.

"I don't know. I've never been to a Muggle school before Hogwarts," said Hiccup. "What's it like?"

"Well… I've never been either." The two turned to Merida to see what she had to say.

"I lived in London for about eight years. Of course, I went to a Muggle school."

"That's right. I remember you mentioning that once," said Hiccup. "So what's it like?" he repeated.

"Not as good as Hogwarts if I'm honest. Everything is the same except every day is a journey. You have to get up and find a way to school. I had a driver who'd drive me every day, but I heard many people complain about having to walk to school. Sometimes they were late even because they overslept. It's not much of a journey here because we pretty much live in dormitories unless your morning class was Herbology."

"So… just imagine living at Hogsmeade and have no magic?" asked Hiccup.

Merida nodded. "So how did you learn magic before Hogwarts?"

"Every now and then Gobber would teach us a thing or two whenever he was around. Even though Berk's an island and getting to places were short, every morning was freezing. I'm used to it though, so Muggle schools might not be a problem if I were to go—not that I want to."

"I have no plans to return either. The only thing familiar from primary school was Christopher since we were in the same class a few times." Merida turned and indicated which one among the group of second years was Christopher.

"I remember when he got into trouble with Mother. The two of you weren't there, but Jack also got a detention."

Hiccup and Merida looked at each other sheepishly. "Right… About that… Yang showed us—"

The doors burst open and Gobber was pacing faster than usual, creating a loud racket whenever his wooden leg hit the stone ground. He was in a hurry to see Lunar, who was in the middle of a conversation with Moonhaven.

After Gobber whispered something to Lunar, the Headmaster stood straight up and made his way outside with the other professors following. This made the students in the hall eager to see what the problem was, so they followed along.

* * *

Merida followed Hiccup and Rapunzel as they were just about to reach the Hogwarts grounds. She never really marvelled at the breathtaking blue sky after the mist had disappeared. The sky was a beautiful blue, and the clouds were puffy and white, unlike a wispy grey of the mist.

Near the entrance to the school, Merida saw the group of students that were planning to leave. Gobber probably had them remain there after he had something urgent to tell Lunar. She spotted Jack among the group, watching in the distance with the others. They were fixated on something far away from the school.

Slowly, the students had just noticed what the huge commotion was about. Gobber pointed it out to the professors, demanding for an explanation, but none of them could answer.

Deep within the forest, with its colossal form appearing above the treetops, a large creature roamed the earth. It walked on its four legs as it wandered around the scene, slowly like all giant creatures. Fur draped over its dinosaur-like hide and its face was concealed with overgrown plants that had been caught in its tusk.

This thing was far away, yet it appeared like it was around the height of the Ravenclaw Tower. Every step it took, the students felt the vibrations. This creature had spikes coming from its back and loose skin hanging off like rotted flesh. Black particles fell off the creature in clumps, and they soon knew that this creature was a byproduct of Corruption. Its dark colouring was because it was made up of Black Sand, and the way it reflected in the light like glitter supported that idea.

Somehow, everyone wasn't distressed or panicked. The people felt safe and secure, even with this thing roaming around the forest. It looked passive and peaceful. A majestic view was in front of their eyes.

Unfortunately, events like this never stayed around long enough. The dinosaur-like creature was slowly disintegrating, erasing itself from existence. People were disappointed, like when the snowy particles last year mysteriously vanished too.

* * *

There was a good hour left until classes started on that Monday morning. Students had returned to the Great Hall to have their breakfast. It was as quiet as it was before they left to see the creature outside.

Back at Yang's table, where John, Lily, and Xander sat, an odd white box greeted her with her name on top of it. Confused, she glared at it for moments until John questioned what she was doing with it.

"I think the box is scared of you… so… maybe… you should open it… now…" he suggested in the most submissive way possible.

"I do what I want!" yelled Yang, grabbing the attention of some students around them. Yang looked at Xander and Lily, seeing what they thought she'd do. Lily was somehow frightened of what to expect inside the box, but Xander merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Must have been placed there while we were outside," said Xander.

Yang placed both hands towards the front of the box, ready to lift the top cover open. Halfway through opening it, she remembered what it was. She was now relieved to breathe, as it was nothing suspicious, but seeing John, Lily, and Xander anxious to see what it was made her grin. She didn't need to do her best to remember this moment because of her Semblance.

A small explosion of fireworks flew above Yang's head and the sound scared Lily, forcing her to hide behind Xander and John. The boys had jolted slightly from their seats too. In front of Yang now was a small birthday cake with candles lighting up when the miniature fireworks landed on the wicks.

"It's your birthday today?!" yelled John. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I _did_. I told you it was very soon." Yang corrected.

"But still… That doesn't count." John sat back down to see the cake better. "From whom?"

"Ness. She's given cakes to everyone in our year whose birthday has passed. Strange thing is nobody told her their birthdays. Somehow she just knows." Yang said while ending it with a spooky tone.

"We have believed that it was a Semblance. Most wizards have Semblances for survival, so I do not see the advantages of having one to help remember birthdays—or mysteriously know them since nobody told her," said Xander.

"So where was my cake?" asked John.

Yang replied with annoyance. "Your birthday hasn't passed yet!"

"But my birthday did pass last year!" disputed John. "I don't remember seeing these cakes at all."

"Nessa O'Reilly only started doing it this year, Jonathan. The reason you do not recall seeing the cakes: You were too busy in the dungeons or outside trying to impress people with Quicksilver." Xander clarified.

"I was helping by killing those creatures."

"By showing off," remarked Yang. She and Lily began laughing at how brutal they were by gaining up on John.

"It's a small cake, don't you think?" asked John in an attempt to change the subject.

"True," replied Yang, further inspecting it. "There's two cuts on the cake, meaning four slices. I don't suppose you three would like a slice?"

Xander shook his head. "I think I will head to the usual place. You should head there too to show me what that witch's Prophecy Record revealed."

"Sure, but are you sure you won't grab a bite?" asked Yang.

"I am sure. Not all of the students celebrate birthdays every year. Maybe it is better to give it to someone who does not have that luxury." Xander stood up and left.

Yang watched sadly as she really wanted him to just have a nice time with them. "You don't have that luxury either, Xander." Yang said quietly.

"I wonder what flavour it is!" John said excitedly, bringing Yang out of her thoughts. Lily was the first to grab a slice and none of them had noticed. Lily smiled shyly with her mouth full. This was probably the best cake they've ever had.

Yang promised herself to thank Nessa, just so she could show appreciation. That was a lie. Yang was only going to thank Nessa so she'd see how Nessa was able to know all the second year's birthdays. Yang smiled deviously while taking a bite of the cake.

"John, give Xander's piece to Merida's friends. I'm sure they'd like some appreciation after what they'd done."


	25. Vox Nihili

Waking up was a challenge. Senses were slowly returning as Bunnymund's eyes fluttered open, but all he saw was a blur. Muffled familiar sounds were around him though. Voices and footsteps were around, and yet, he wasn't able to tell whose voice it belonged to and how far or close they were from him.

Bunnymund was lying on his side with his left on the bed. He slow rolled to face up, and then a strong ache ran through his entire body. The piercing light then cleared his vision, the green curtains and the stone ceiling coming into view.

Bunnymund controlled his breath, which was ragged and harsh. To not draw attention to himself, he lifted his arm and covered his mouth. He caught a glimpse of his arm. It was his human arm—he was under control for now. His memories were still fresh and clear. He remembered what he did that led him here. He attacked the people he cared about.

Unless the Black Sand's influence showed him otherwise, his Pooka form was dangerous. The moment he transformed was when it all went wrong, and turning back human freed him from the Corruption's vice-like grip. He never wanted to turn back again.

Now the sounds became crisp and he could tell nobody was nearby. Bunnymund slowly lifted up his head, enduring the pain in the upper region of his back. He could see the shadows of people pacing about. The one trotting to each bed was most likely Pierce who was taking care of others. Bunnymund hoped none of them were victims because of him.

Bandages were wrapped around Bunnymund's chest, upper arms, wrists, and stomach area. No dried blood was seen on any of his bandages. Either someone changed his bloodied ones or the only wound he had was on his back, which would explain the shooting pain coming from only that area and the fact that he was on his side. He would've stood up to check, but the injury suppressed him from moving, and his head was spinning re.

Pierce's shadow came to a stop when he heard Bunnymund's groan. It slowly approached Bunnymund as the shadow was becoming less blurry. The curtains parted and Pierce let a sigh of relief.

"Well haven't _you_ been out for a while?" Pierce placed his hand on Bunnymund's forehead, shaking his head to discourage Bunnymund's idea of getting up. "You need painkillers. And I think another night before you think you're gonna leave."

"How long was I out for?" asked Bunnymund.

"About a day." Pierce returned and had a strong painkiller ready for Bunnymund. "Your injuries were the worst compared to the others."

"The others? How are they?" Bunnymund didn't want to think about Tooth at the moment, what he did to her. She was afraid, yet so determined to bring him back from the abyss. She didn't give up on him, and how did he repay her? By hitting her head against a rock. He seldom felt guilty about things like that, only because it was war, and things usually happened so fast for a person to think about it. So why was he being so hard on himself?

"Mansnoozie and Moonhaven left as soon as they got you here. They had no such injuries. Toothiana, on the other hand, is still here—sleeping right now though." Pierce glanced to Bunnymund's right and it was evident that her bed was next to his.

"How bad is it?" asked Bunnymund. "Tooth _did_ hurt her head real bad."

"You remember? That's interesting. Toothiana is completely fine. She was supposed to be out this morning, but she refuses to leave your side until she knows you're fine. I convinced her to at least go to her History of Magic classes, but she still refuses to leave and had substitutes take over for her. Maybe it's a good time for me to wake her up."

"Th—that might be unnecessary!" Bunnymund said. He wasn't sure how it would play out if he had to speak to her right now.

"Either you're gonna play 'dead' and keep her here or you're gonna talk to her so she'll leave. It's honestly not my problem, but you need to get back to teaching too. Thorburn, Galuu, and Shalazar are about to be overwhelmed with their conflicting schedules."

Pierce slowly headed to Tooth's bed and woke her up. Bunnymund saw her shadow rise and she immediately left her bed. The curtains parted and there she was, elated and no longer distressed. She stretched her arms and wrapped then around Bunnymund. He was surprised and grateful that her first response was a hug. He returned it, forgetting that he was still injured thanks to the painkillers.

Tooth heard him wince, so she released her embrace, seeing him clutch onto his shoulders as an attempt to touch his back.

"Sorry," she said with a smile as she sat on the bed.

Pierce poked his head through the curtains. "I'll be off on my break. When I get back, I expect you to be gone, Tooth. Just because you're a professor doesn't mean you get to stick around for as long as you want."

Tooth smiled. "I'll make sure of that. And thank you for letting me stay."

Pierce left in a rush to quickly hide his reddening face.

Tooth was now left with Bunnymund. Other students in the room had also left for lunch while the injured rested. They were now in privacy.

"Does it hurt that bad? It didn't look as bad as Year X."

"Nah. Year X was a real bugger. Although, for some reason, my wrists, shoulders, and down here still hurt," admitted Bunnymund as he pointed to his abdomen. He knew they were bandaged for a reason, but he couldn't remember when he injured those areas.

"They're burns, Bunny. You also have your legs bandaged too."

"Burns? I don't remember getting hit by fire." Bunnymund was then undoing one of his bandages to see the damage. It was a horrible trail of scorched skin twisting around his wrist, but Tooth reassured that it would heal and leave no scars.

"You probably don't remember any of it, Bunny. Sandy used his Dreamsand to keep you still. The sand was burning your skin. We think it was because the Black Sand in your body reacted to it. Pitch said you shouldn't mix Purification and Corruption."

Bunnymund didn't reply and avoided her gaze, slowly wrapping the bandage around his arm.

"What's wrong? Bunny?" She then frowned when she received no response. "Look, if you feel like beating yourself up about what you've done, don't. It wasn't your fault and it wasn't you that did it."

"It was, Tooth." Bunnymund turned and analysed his mess. Tooth had a bandage wrapped around her head and plenty of minor scratches on her face. He was fighting the urge to break down in front of her.

"What do you mean?" questioned Tooth, her tone more serious.

"I remember everything. Everything that happened to you, was because I wanted it to. I remember wanting to escape. I remember wanting to hide from everyone." He looked directly into her amethyst eyes. "I remember wanting to hurt you."

Bunny didn't want to be dishonest to her, and he also didn't want to hurt her ever again. He didn't want Tooth to hate him.

Tooth took his hand and raised it above his rising chest. The bandages were poorly wrapped around his wrist, so she took her time to tighten them. "We still don't have that much knowledge about Black Sand. A lot of us didn't know you were ever going to make it. Pitch had never used his Fearlings to possess others, so even he wasn't so sure. You'll see. When we learn more, you'll learn it was never your fault. Do you still want to escape back into the forest in your Pooka form?"

"No," replied Bunnymund, noticing her grip getting stronger.

"A do you still want to hurt me?"

"No," he repeated.

"We'll always be there for you, even when you're at your worst. Don't carry a burden like that."

Bunnymund nodded and let go of her hand, covering his eyes with his forearm. How could she have forgiven him so easily? Bunny continued to nod while fighting back the tears. He then felt her hand on his elbow.

"I'll go get lunch and bring some back for you, okay?" She stared at the tattoos appearing from the gaps of the bandages around his chest. They weren't hard to spot as the navy stood out against the white cotton bandages.

Tooth left the room, allowing him to have time for himself. But Bunny was actually looking forward to her return.

* * *

Hogwarts was finally back to its original routine. Students could happily go to classes with no fear of the Creatures of Corruption. Although safe, a noticeable void was left on the seats belonging to the students who had left. Three Hufflepuffs in Merida's year had left, while each of the other house lost on.

It didn't take long for Professor Bunnymund and Toothiana to return to their teaching positions. Most had questioned to Bunnymund about what it felt like being taken over by Fearlings and Bunnymund answered them all with exaggeration to how dangerous it was. Most had not noticed the fear behind his smiles these days.

The best news of all was North's return to teaching Charms. Gothel was nowhere to be found—not that the school desperately wanted her to continue teaching Charms. She was long gone around the time the curse began too, the same day Quidditch was cancelled.

Being the Princess of Dunbroch, Merida was given an interview, questioning her on her experiences during the curse. None of the journalists that visited saw anything good by interviewing Hiccup and Rapunzel. They figured a story from a princess would gather a larger audience.

Although, some of the people from the Daily Prophet searched for Jack. Being both the victim of the Burgess Sweep and the White Death's Curse was a good way to stir the pot in the headlines. But North, acting as Jack's guardian, prevented this from happening. He even had a way to prohibit entry to the North Pole by disconnecting the fireplace from the Floo Network.

None had brought up anything about the colossal creature that appeared after the curse lifted. Merida also refrained from mentioning it to the reporters, otherwise, they'd see her as crazy. There was no telling if other people would back her up, or if it was even a purpose of telling them about it. It's not like knowing the origin of that creature helped their issue about the Dark Weapon. That was also something else the reporter asked Merida, but she denied it as instructed by Lunar.

This headline of Merida was going to be noticed by her mother, who wasn't going to be happy hearing about what had happened to her. It didn't matter anymore since her mother already knew. Her father was near the school, managing the Creatures of Corruption that were trying to escape.

* * *

"It's not over," said Yang. "The Dark Weapon are a step ahead now."

It had been a week after the end of the White Death's Curse. Merida, Rapunzel, Hiccup were in the Potions classroom where Yang's friend stayed. It was the first time all of them but Jack were together.

"I know. Mother escaped, meaning she's telling the Dark Weapon of what she saw from the Prophecy Record," said Rapunzel. "But I don't remember clearly what I saw! I'm sorry I can't help." Rapunzel pleaded.

"Don't panic. What's important is the fact that Jack was with you at the time," reassured Yang. She received confused faces from everyone but John. "Well at least one person gets it. Why don't _you_ explain, Ignorant Ravenclaw."

"Rapunzel is somehow 'immune' to Yang's Semblance. She's tried many times, but Rapunzel is always a silhouette in Yang's Prophecy Record. The evil witch and Professor Gothel both haven't revealed their full names, meaning Yang can't see their pasts either. But Jack she knows, and his past is visible on her orb." John explained.

"How did you figure that out so easily?" asked Merida.

"'Cause he doesn't show up in the orb either!" pointed Yang.

John held his arms up defensively. "Beats me. Maybe I have Chinese names that my parents gave me when I was born. Perhaps Rapunzel has another name too, or Gothel isn't her last name."

"Well not that it matters since we can rely on Jack's past. But do you have any clue to what your full name is then?" asked Yang.

"No… I'm sure my mother is my mother," replied Rapunzel sadly.

"What about your father? Maybe your real full name is actually your dad's last name," said John.

"That makes sense. But he left a long time ago, so there's no way of asking."

"That's too bad. Well let's begin then. We'll watch the vision of what Jack saw when he shattered the orb." Yang took out her orb and a piece of parchment, scanning through the list of times she wanted to never forget. "Jackson Overland, 7th of March 2495, 7:13pm."

The same vision Rapunzel saw was seen in the orb. The first vision was the red flames behaving as if it was possessing individuals, supposedly killing them and then moving on to another host.

"Well what do you guys think?" asked Yang who stopped the vision to start a discussion.

"It looks like Core Magic. So a Gryffindor's," said Hiccup.

"That's something. But what's so special about it? There are many Gryffindors on this planet, so the Dark Weapon could just easily nab them. If you're talking about people who can cast Core Magic, well count Jack off the list because he isn't the only one."

"He isn't?" asked Merida.

Yang shook her head. "Xander taught the spell to cast Core Magic to others before joining Hogwarts. Darkcharm is a Gryffindor, and Lily is also about to conjure a strong enough flame to be on par with mine."

"Darkcharm? Gothel mentioned that name. Who is that?" asked Merida.

Yang glanced over to Xander, who had been quiet this entire time. "Darkcharm was like us. He's older, but he joined the same time Xander did. He discovered his Semblance and trained like crazy. He's also one of the reasons me and Xander changed sides. What he did was awful, and everything a bad guy _would_ do."

Rapunzel had suddenly remembered why Darkcharm sounded so familiar. She never thought about why it gave her chills when Gothel spoke about him with the White Death because of the tense situation. Darkcharm was mentioned by that girl who tried to save her friend from Corruption years ago. Now it was adding up.

Everyone was talking, so Rapunzel held her thought until it was appropriate.

"Red Core Magic is out of the list, is it?" asked Lily. She was hoping that was the case so she wouldn't worry about having the Dark Weapon's crosshairs on her back.

"No, Lily," replied Yang, disappointing the Gryffindor. "Core Magic may look the same, but they're still unique in each soul. Core Magic determines a Semblance, so maybe that's what we're looking for."

"Any Semblance in particular that your vision showed?" asked Lily, slightly becoming hesitant, which was noticed by everyone.

"Something related to it passing on to another. Maybe the Core Magic is so powerful, only special people can hold it without destroying themselves, as evident in the last figure that held the flames."

Lily now relaxed a little. She was so sure this wasn't her Semblance, so the Dark Weapon weren't after her. Although she knew that was a little bit selfish of her. If she _was_ a target, Xander and Yang would protect her.

"Maybe," added Xander. "The Core Magic passes on to another person whenever the person dies. We saw these figures crumble and then the Core Magic moved on to another person. So instead of the Core Magic killing someone, they die of natural causes."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" yelled Yang. "I was so confused about Core Magic killing people when all it could do was weaken. The Semblance is being able to pass on to another host when the current holder dies."

"We don't know Jack's Semblance, but we know Darkcharm's is Corruption. Do you know your Semblance, Lily?" asked Rapunzel.

Lily shook her head while turning red.

"We're certainly not thinking of killing Lily or Jack to see if their Core Magic passes on to another, are we?" asked John jokingly.

"Even if we did, their Core Magic would pass on to another, making the purpose of killing them useless." Hiccup answered, even though it was rhetorical.

"What happens if it passes on to someone who already has Core Magic?" asked Rapunzel, who just started to piece the puzzle together. She placed her hands over her mouth while the mood of the room dropped. They all had the same idea.

"It only passes on to Muggles," said Yang while deep in thought. "Jack's a Muggle-born. Everyone in Gryffindor has at least a relative who was a wizard but Jack."

"How can you be sure?" asked Xander.

Yang held up her orb, confirming that she looked at everyone's past last year to see if they were trusted. "Jack's mum and dad knew nothing about the wizarding world, and neither did his sister."

"This is bad," said Xander. "Zigor was after Jack's Core Magic last year but gave up after his failed attempt. He now has a better reason to retrieve it." Xander wrote down these notes.

They viewed the next three visions after being sure that the first vision was Muggle Core Magic, which was currently residing within Jack. The second vision did not require a discussion, as it was Merida's necklace which was able to repel Core Magic.

The third was the creature flying in the dark, with black particles falling from the sky. It could've been anything, but Hiccup told them about what he knew. Apparently, it was a Night Fury, a dragon which nobody had seen. Berk had been attacked by a lot of them in the past, but ever since that day when Berk was almost done for, none had been sighted.

"And you're sure it's a Night Fury?" asked Yang as she wrote down the name on a parchment.

"The high pitched screech was more than enough. The purple blast of plasma is another trait they have," said Hiccup. "The dark particles were its scales. Didn't we just learn in Potions that dragon scales have magical properties? They block spells and can also be used to make wand cores."

"So you've heard the scream before?" asked John.

"I was very little," he answered. By the look on his face, he wasn't willing to talk any more about them.

"Lucky this vision was not seen in the past," said Merida. "Otherwise getting a Night Fury Scale would've been a breeze."

"It's all about timing, Merida. The Dark Weapon knew some of these ingredients weren't available to the world during Year X. I'm starting to believe that they planned all this. The White Death died on purpose with the Prophecy Record, waiting to be free this year. The White Dusk Crystal on your necklace was made probably a decade ago, which was when the Dark Weapon began their plans."

"But how'd they know when?" asked Merida.

"I'm guessing fate. Everything just led on to this outcome." Yang replied.

The last vision was related to Corona, and a short discussion led them to conclude that it was Corona's Potion. It was both legendary and extremely valuable. But Gothel was so sure she knew where to get it.

"I should've known about Mother," said Rapunzel. They all turned to her. "A few years ago, people came to my house and Mother tried to save the boy. They said Darkcharm did it. I didn't know too much about Black Sand to know that Mother was doing bad things."

Yang and Xander looked at each other. "Did they say their names?" Xander asked with a hint of desperation in his eyes.

Rapunzel shook their heads. "I'm guessing they were with the Dark Weapon because they knew Darkcharm."

"Did this boy survive?" asked Yang.

"He died. Mother used Dragon Poison to kill him."

"Then it wasn't Drake 'cause he survived. The two you met was Orlando and Laila, skilled fighters of the Dark Weapon. They—like us—were taken by the Dark Weapon before we got to Hogwarts. They never came back, so we never knew their fate. The question we're trying to answer now is Laila's whereabouts."

The room went silent. None of Merida's friends knew how to continue this conversation. It was really Xander and Yang's problem. The seven students divided into smaller groups, all moving on to their own personal things such as homework and hobbies. Knowing about the four objects the Dark Weapon were after somewhat brought them at ease.

Merida became aware and protective of her necklace, learning how to cast protective charms on them. She had Xander's help with that. They also agreed to keep this information hidden from the professors, as Yang still did not trust them that much. The Headmaster _was_ the one to blame for all this.

Jack's Core Magic was safe for now. North's Workshop was completely secure, according to Tooth. Rapunzel had asked her about it to be sure. Unfortunately, none could inform Jack about this fearing that the letter would've been intercepted.

Night Furies had not been sighted for many years, so that was a good sign, but Hiccup promised to snoop around. They didn't want to ignore something and find out the Dark Weapon got it.

The Corona's Potion was left unanswered. Hiccup showed what he had written in the temple, but it was incomplete. Hiccup wanted to hit himself for not going back to write down the rest, but Yang's attempt to see Hiccup's past didn't help either. They had a good look at the runes, but it was only about the story itself and not how to obtain it.

* * *

The sound of the Hogwarts Express roared to the students as this was another year's end. It felt like a victory to the people boarding the train after surviving an archaic curse. The train had passed Hogwarts several times too many after the curse since no cargo from Arendelle and Corona had made it to New Hogsmeade, so plans had to be accelerated indefinitely. It was only this day that the heavy schedule was put on halt for the students.

Elinor, Merida's mother, had arrived at Hogwarts several weeks ago without her daughter's knowledge. The stories had gone on for too long and Elinor didn't want her daughter caught up in the middle of it. Her stubborn nature was difficult for Merida to refuse. She did all she could to stay at Hogwarts. If she had known earlier, she would've been more prepared.

It wasn't until Professor Black appeared from the shadows and reasoned with Merida's mum. He was persuasive with his words like he had everything thought out beforehand. They had known each other for a long time now. Elinor was Pitch's favourite, unlike Fergus, who was always up to no good. In fact, Elinor was a favourite of all the professors.

Eventually, Elinor gave up and wished Merida to be careful and to not get involved like she did this year. Merida agreed; she couldn't imagine anything worse than what happened this year, but she hoped she didn't jinx it.

Merida was now in a compartment with Hiccup and Rapunzel. Tailfire had joined them, telling them that Kristine, Elizabeth, Miriam, and Vanessa were her friends, but now they've left. She stayed with them the remainder of that year, worried she was going to become a social outcast. Merida and her friends were rather welcoming though, contrary to her belief. She and Hiccup got along the most, as Hiccup was investigating how he managed to cast a strong fire spell at Gothel that day. Their training continued and Hiccup was now able to cast a nonverbal Fire-Making Charm, which even Tailfire couldn't do.

"So how's it without Jack?" asked Tailfire.

"It gets quiet every now and then," said Hiccup. "But I'm sure the difference for you was much drastic."

"You'd have no idea." Tailfire then turned to her right, where Rapunzel was watching through the window. "Rapunzel?"

The Ravenclaw snapped out of her daydream. "Yes?"

"Not sure if you've told those two already, but do you know where you're headed when we get to King's Cross? I know that you travel through your mother's Apparition, but considering everything that's happened…"

"I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron for the break. Everything has been covered by Lunar." Rapunzel replied.

"Is it going to get lonely? You're basically living in a marketplace full of strangers."

"Not really, Tailfire. I have Pascal. Hiccup and Merida will visit every now and then. Jack also wrote to me that he'd visit every day. And if all of them happen to be busy…" Rapunzel was about to reveal something she was not meant to. "If they're busy I'll meet new people who live around the market."

Rapunzel hoped somebody spoke in that short silence. She could not risk having anyone find out about Xander and Yang's hiding spot. She was the only one who knew about it since she was going be live nearby. They gave their welcome to her in case she was going to be lonely, and Xander was interested to teach her what he knew. She _was_ one of the potential classmates who could've been part of their inner circle. Nonetheless, Rapunzel was content about this; they were kind people, even if Hiccup and Jack disagreed.

Tailfire nodded, not noticing Rapunzel's half-truth. She then started a conversation with Hiccup and Merida, discussing the recent event around Hiccup's area. The Ministry weren't too pleased with what had happened. They had also begun 'capturing' dragons from the Outcasts and Berserkers. The reason was unknown, except for that new rule about registering dragons, by which Berk had begun abiding. Hiccup assumed it was all a trick to the Outcasts' leader, Alvin, who had just lost his dragon by the Ministry. If he wanted it back, he was going to face the consequences of his crimes against Berk. Although an extremely devious plan of the Ministry, it was working. But if Hiccup knew the Outcasts, they'd never back down without a fight. There's a high chance they'd band together with the Berserkers too.

Pascal came out of Rapunzel's hair, excited after listening to Rapunzel talk about their new lifestyle. Rapunzel couldn't wait to see what the break was like. Hiccup was eager to learn more about Night Furies, especially with Fishlegs' expansive knowledge of dragons.

Merida told them that she was going to be careful since the Dark Weapon knew who had the White Dusk Crystal. It was a tough choice to give it to somebody else such as Yang or keep it in case her mother wondered where it was. If Merida's mother were to know why Merida had given it to somebody else to protect because some evil organisation was after it, she'd never see the Hogwarts Express ever again.

Thirty-eight students had attended Hogwarts in Merida's year. A powerful curse had risen and six had left that list. Thirty-two students remained.


	26. Yang's Report II

Christmas was Yang's favourite holiday. It was many people's favourite to be exact. Every family—no matter where they were on Earth—gathered together to celebrate this luxury. But not everybody perceived this day the same. Some had no families, connections, time, but there were those unlucky souls who have committed a horrible mistake, blighting their optimism and destroying what they cherished as a child.

Yang was not an example—fortunately, but all around her in the Great Hall were some of those who did not follow a safe road in their life. Whether this path was paved specifically for them to fall on did not matter. What was important to these travellers was their spark of life, as ones are as important as the others. When one soul flickers away from the world, other paths might fall with it.

Jack was in Yang's sight, staring at the table during this eventful day. The curse was still lurking around the school, festered nightmares hiding everywhere. Surely Yang was going to talk to Jack because she knew what was playing inside his head. He was the last to enter out of his friends, and yet he decided to sit so far from them, pretending to be completely oblivious to their existence.

Maybe time was all Jack needed. Christmas was a ruined holiday for him. Around that period last year was when Jack's world turned upside down, all by the hands of an evil man whom Yang used to respect.

The Hufflepuff's friends arrived and she was now comfortable. Although she knew the difference between her friends and Jack's. His friends had so much personality, so many different colours. Her friends were similar too, but they were all hiding something; Yang could tell. She already knew what Xander kept from Lily and John, but she was determined to find out more about the other two.

Hiccup was Yang's favourite from Jack's group. He helped her gain the courage to do her best leading her group this year. She was quite sad to see his intentions of being sorted into Gryffindor shatter in front of him during the Sorting ceremony. At least Merida was there to help Hiccup's low-esteem. Even Yang liked the quote: "Your house does not define who you are, your choices do."

She found it fitting for her friends too since they didn't meet the stereotypes. Her friends thought she was full of wisdom for saying it. Yang wanted to keep it that way.

Hiccup had spoken to Xander yesterday privately for assistance. Yang was slightly offended by his betrayal, but until she found out what the help was related to, she allowed it to slide. There was no way she was agreeing to help them break into the Restricted Section, not after the harsher rules being applied after the students attempted to escape.

Yang promised to at least tell Jack's friends about Jack. But they'd find her quite suspicious if she was the one to tell, so maybe Xander would be willing to do it as a favour. Jack's friends were closest to him, so they'd know how to approach him about it. The last thing Yang needed to hear was people such as Jack leaving the school.

Yang still needed Xander to do something for her, so she told him she wasn't keen on him helping Hiccup. By allowing him to do so, in return, Yang wanted Xander to talk to those three about Jack. She was hoping her hunch was correct that Xander somehow cared for people's feelings when he agreed.

* * *

"Yang, Xander, how did the two of you meet?" asked Lily. It was a question both she and John wanted to know. They, of course, knew that it was because they ended up at the same place when the Dark Weapon took them in, but they wanted to know how.

"Well… I was from San Francisco. The Dark Weapon destroyed the section my neighbourhood was located at. Took me in after that and then trained me to learn various things."

"So what kinds of things?" asked John.

"Not the usual things a child does. They had me do many things related to magic. So planting stuff, casting magic, even talking to animals."

"Why?" Lily asked. She was stirring a cauldron in the Potions classroom, creating a potion for Rapunzel, but she was hiding it from her friends for now. So far none of them had asked, so that was a good sign.

"I'm sure they wanted to know my Semblance. As soon as they made me do things related to Divinations, such as holding a Prophecy Record, I discovered my hidden talent. After that, they stopped making me do all those weird things. Actually… they made everyone stop what they were doing—the ones who were taken in with me."

John then stood up and was slightly worried. "So how are the Dark Weapon finding out where you guys live? If I'm not careful, they'll capture me next."

"Oh don't worry about that. The Dark Weapon intercepted the Hogwarts letters to find out the names of the students and address. Although the wizarding world became smarter and even removed the addresses, they had me to track down everyone."

"So that's how you guys found me," said John. "This whole time I thought it was because they had some kind of tool to find everyone."

"Nah, it's all fine now. You're safe… or are you?"

John released a fake and nervous laugh, reaching over to rub the back of his head.

Yang noticed something he was not telling her, and they began a light-hearted fight.

The blonde Gryffindor turned to Xander, ignoring the antics of the other two. "Xander, what about you? And how did you two meet?"

"I…" He was feeling tense when he began, but he wasn't going to let Lily notice. "I was taken from America by the Dark Weapon. There was also my brother too, but he did not make it. I met Yang there, and we were often placed as partners during missions."

Lily was grateful he answered her question, let alone not ignore her. She wanted to ask more but felt as if she had met her yearly limit of questions for him.

"Tell me, Lily." Xander held his wand up and began generating a spark of electricity, travelling around his wand. "What is _your_ Semblance?"

"I—I don't know!" Lily looked away and hoped he didn't pressure her. Instead, she heard the sparks stop and he turned to look directly at her. There was no escaping anymore, so she directed her eyes back to his. She then had an idea. "What… what's your Semblance?"

It actually worked. He wasn't giving her a glare anymore.

"Not telling." He gave her a half-smile before leaving the room, needing some time away especially from Yang and John's minor conflict.

* * *

One week left before Yang's second year ended. Yang read the Daily Prophet at the Great Hall, enjoying the company of Merida and Heather. Laws had been created by the Ministry. Although Yang was pleased to see order being formed, she somehow didn't trust the Ministry as the ones in charge. Too many unnecessary rules to follow with no apparent justifications.

The biggest change was going to affect the islands habitable to dragons. All dragon riders were forced to bring their dragons under ownership to the Ministry, meaning they had full control over them. Although it didn't affect Hiccup, Berk was unable to avoid it.

"That's why Dagur left early," said Heather. "His father and the Outcasts retaliated, but the violence caused too many casualties. I think their dragons got taken as well."

"Isn't that good for other villages like Hiccup's?" Merida asked.

"Sure, but even though their dragons got taken, they still have the ones they use to raid other villages. A resistance will form, and they will try to take down the Ministry all because of that new rule."

"I think she's right," said Yang. "I spied on Lunar's conversation with the Minister for Magic, Michael Ignis. That man had quite an attitude, and I'm surprised he didn't do much during the Burgess Sweep. Must be because the only real victims were Muggles, even though the Dark Weapon were connected."

"The Dark Weapon?" questioned Heather. Yang constantly forgot whom she was talking to that she had no idea Heather was right beside her.

"Haven't you heard of the rumours?" asked Merida. Yang took a deep breath and played along. They were lucky to have gotten away with that thanks to Merida.

"Anyway, when I spied on Lunar and Ignis, I was surprised Ignis was a silhouette, like Rapunzel and John. We know their full names, yet it never works! It's always the most interesting people who never work with my Semblance."

"But you still heard him with Lunar, right?" asked Merida.

"Yeah, but it was the constant bickering you'd hear from politicians. You know, boring stuff."

"From what I know, Ignis was considered lazy. Many people forgot his name until today… I even forgot the Ministry had a Minister," said Merida.

"Well nobody blames you. Year X changed a lot, so wizardkind has changed their priorities as well," replied Yang. "You don't have a dragon, Heather?"

"Not yet. My people don't really have a specific age requirement, so we own dragons whenever we feel ready for one."

"That would've been a useful rule for Hiccup. Ever since he realised he was already thirteen—the age to select a dragon—he became very paranoid whenever someone mentioned dragons." Merida explained.

"He's still scared?" asked Yang. "Please tell me he didn't join the bandwagon and chose Care of Magical Creatures."

"He did." Merida looked away to avoid the frustration in Yang's eyes. "More than enough chose that subject, so maybe Lunar will decide who can or cannot to take that class. I do feel bad that not many chose Arithmancy and Study of Ancient Runes."

"I doubt Lunar would do that," said Heather. "He'd run into that issue for the older students given how many there are of them left."

"What did you choose?" asked Merida.

"Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies," answered Heather.

Yang slowly got up while answering. "Divinations and Care of Magical Creatures. I know that's the same as what you picked, Merida. Anyway, I should get back to my friends."

"Aren't _we_ your friends?" joked Merida.

"Nothing but a bunch of forced relationships," muttered Yang.

"What?" asked Merida with a hint of threat in her tone.

"Nothing?" answered Yang.

* * *

Yang got back to Slytherin table to join the other three. Knowing that the year was almost done and so many events were over, she finally relaxed. Exams weren't taken seriously, even by the professors. Students undertaking OWLs and NEWTs still studied nonstop before it really began.

"Thought we were friends, Yang," said John.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You looked like you were having so much fun with them. I must say, I feel a little hurt."

"Well, John. You're nothing to me. We're only 'friends' because we go to the same school." Yang stuck her tongue out at John.

"Did you get anything from Heather?" asked Xander.

"I did. This new rule from the Ministry seems problematic. Dagur left for that very reason, and I'm sure their dragons were taken too. It's only Berk that's safe from the Ministry for now."

"Who're the enemies? The Dark Weapon or the Ministry?" asked John. "You guys voted that I'd be in charge next year, but I'm not sure if I can do it. I still can't cast Core Magic and I'm no fortune-teller either."

"My Semblance doesn't make me a fortune-teller if it makes me only see their past, Wan."

"Do not lose confidence," said Xander. "That is your strongest trait. I am sure if what you said about skipping grades before Hogwarts was true, then you would have no problems leading us next year. Also, do not forget that Yang and I have had a few complications when we led. The Burgess Sweep went out of hand and I predicted everything wrong. Yang's main intentions during the White Death's Curse was to prevent the intel from leaving, but that still failed. So do not beat yourself up if something _does_ go wrong.

"But if we see you slacking off." Xander edged his head closer to John. "We will take over and you will become unreliable to us. And I do not care that you built a complex weapon."

"A—all right!" answered John.

"What's your Semblance, John? If you're upset you don't have a skill like me, then maybe you should figure out what your Semblance is," said Yang.

"I already know what my Semblance is." John lowered his head in disappointment. "Quick Burst. I'm sure you all know that one since it's one of the most common Semblances."

"Not as pathetic as knowing everyone's birthdays," said Yang. "I looked into Nessa's past and there's nothing to prove how she knew all our birthdays. No list, no book… nothing."

"What's Quick Burst?" asked Lily while putting her book down.

"Quick Burst as you heard is common in a lot of wizards. I can tell you that there might be ten more in this school to have it too. Talk about being unique. The Semblance allows one to travel at high speeds without suffering from side effects. So I won't have whiplash or dizziness. The wind is also ineffective against me."

"So you built a Dusk Weapon that complemented your Dusk Weapon? Smart," said Xander. "How fast does it go?"

"300 kilometres per hour," he answered.

Yang and Xander blinked rapidly with confusion.

"How fast is that?" they both asked simultaneously.

"You guys don't know your metric?" He would've used his phone to convert it for them, but given where they were, technology stopped working. Checking his phone was a habit John lost after a few months at Hogwarts. "It's really fast if that helps."

"It does not," said Xander. "It does not go any faster than that?" he asked.

"I don't know. I think it can." John said.

"I was not challenging you to aim higher. It was just a question."

"But still. If you're gonna ask me things like that, it's gonna pump me up with determination to do better." John quickly left the Great Hall, presumably going to get Quicksilver to test out the speed.

"Maybe I'll go check on him in case he crashes." Yang suggested. Still, even though these people were considered in a forced relationship with her, she was glad to have known them. She wondered if this kind of thinking she and Xander had was because of their time with the Dark Weapon. The other people she met there also shared the same thoughts. Perhaps it was time to dismiss those ideas and to focus on savouring the happiness with this bunch while it lasted.

Yang was happy to have friends.


End file.
